Live-in: To add shirts and T-shirts to its range

Launched in 1998, Live-in from Federal Brands is looking at creating a class in mass category in bottom wear. Enjoying a pan India presence, and targeting to achieve a turnover of Rs 150 crores this year, it has also heavily invested in marketing

and advertising the brand by sponsoring Australia-Sri Lanka cricket series and also advertising at the US Open and other cricket tourneys apart from undertaking print and television campaigns. Commenting on how the brand has been able to create a niche despite being a mass brand, Tirtha Bhowmick, National Sales Manager, Federal Brands says, “This year we advertised enough and our ad spend ranks second in the garment industry. Now our sales have grown and so has our network and penetration. We have been targeting MBOs across India to extend the brand reach instead of launching our EBOs.”

Live-in has a very strong presence in the south, which gives them 40 per cent of the business. The west gives 25 per cent; the north 20 per cent and the rest come from the east. Apart from strengthening their presence in the east, they are also planning to launch shirts and T-shirts in the coming seasons. As for now, the brand is available in 3,100 MBOs across the country which is serviced by a network of 30 distributors. The company also has 100 direct dealers and plans to add another 300 to 400 MBOs in the near future.

Talking about the retail spread, Bhowmick says, “We are also selling in the Northeast. We have a distributor in Guwahati but growth has not been very high since it’s difficult to reach out to markets such as Manipur. We have to depend on dealers to visit the distributor’s office in Guwahati and give orders.” The company sells two million bottom pieces a year and has a factory at Bangalore. Apart from sales through MBOs and direct dealers, it is also working on its web store to sell merchandise online.

Talking about the denim category in India, Bhowmick says that denim is a huge market. “Gradually people are looking for more fashion in denim. But challenges in the denim industry spring up every week, month. Small denim manufacturers are able to reach out to MBOs faster and at lower prices. They are able to clear stocks with offers we can’t match,” she explains.

Elaborating on their retail reach, Bhowmick said, “I won’t say that the consumption has moved away from metros. In metros, you have discounts, offers, end of season sales. Consumers’ buying pattern has also changed. There is no specific festive buying or impulse buying anymore. Purchases happen throughout the year. Consumers avail of end-of-season sales though products are not good. And though there is a tremendous response to denims in smaller towns, they want high-fashion at low cost.”