Bombay Dyeing plans aggressive retail expansion

In a bid to reach out to young Indian consumers, Bombay Dyeing, the flagship textile company of the Wadia Group

is planning aggressive retail expansion and revamping its product portfolio to make it relevant for today’s shoppers.

The company has 16 outlets of its own and over 350 franchisees. It now plans to open 50 company-owned stores in a year. It's also looking at changing the overall look of its stores and products, presenting them in a more upmarket and trendy manner. The company conducted a survey to find out, what could make it click once again in today’s market. It found out that despite a 135 year-old legacy of the brand, young consumers did not find the products suitable to their tastes. So it will first enter newer categories within home furnishing like mattresses and also add more designer labels to its collection. The company will also tweak its pricing to straddle across both ends of the price pyramid so that it can garner more sales in rural markets with lower priced products as well as earn higher margins with its pricier offerings.

Established by NowrosjeeWadia in 1879 as a small operation of Indian spun cotton yarn dip dyed by hand, Bombay Dyeing has been one of the largest and successful textile companies in the country. Changing its focus from manufacturing only company to brand building, it recently roped in fashion designers Wendell Rodricks and Anita Dongre, for its linen section, and is also partnering with Disney for its kids' collection.