John Smedley now in India

John Smedley, the well known English knitwear brand has signed up with Blues Clothing Company

to venture into India. John Smedley, established in 1784 is originally from Derbyshire, in England, a traditional knitting heartland. According to Abhay Gupta, Executive Director, Blues Clothing Company, the deal has been signed recently and the brand is already in their portfolio. Blues is now drawing up plans to launch in India. So far, Blues Clothing Company has franchise for top end brands like Versace, Cadini, Corneliani, and Cerruti in India.
In fact, Versace, which entered India in 2006, recently opened its largest store in India, its third in the country at Delhi’s upscale Emporio Mall, the preferred destination for luxury brands. It also plans an airport store at Delhi’s new international airport, which will be the brand’s third store in the city. It is on the lookout for more locations across the country, with the next ones likely in Bangalore and Kolkata. Gupta feels the economic slowdown has not really affected luxury sales, “Indeed, growth that was projected has not taken off but the growth which was achieved has been maintained. In the luxury market there is conscious optimism. We have good aspirations from India and we see a growing luxury clientele. The brands see India as the next future market,” Gupta adds.