Grasim focuses on stretch fabrics to establish India presence

Grasim Suitings is planning to further establish its

India presence by focusing on stretchable fabrics. It has increased the production of stretch fabric over four times at its factories since the time it started production three years ago. From 2.5 lakh metres a year then to 13 lakh metres now, stretch fabrics constitutes about 20 percent of the it’s total production. Apart from the domestic market, the company exports stretch fabrics to global apparel makers in the US and Europe such as JC Penney and Marks & Spencer.

In competition with Raymond in the ready-to-stitch category, Grasim aims to take advantage of being an early entrant in the developing market for stretch fabrics, which is currently at a nascent stage in India. The company has also entered the women’s western wear segment with its elastic wear range, after catering to the male customers so far. However, it is yet to unveil its plans for India as far as its women’s offerings are concerned.

The group recently launched a festive collection of apparels in light-weight and soft fabrics. Graviera, another fabric brand of Grasim Bhiwani Textiles, which is a subsidiary of Aditya Birla Group’s Grasim Industries, contributes Rs 60 crores to turnover. The business of selling fabric to branded apparel makers in India and Western players contributes Rs 170 crores. Grasim has 170 EBOs and is also present in over 10,000 MBOs in India.