Kids’ brands in India on growth track

While on one hand, popular kids brands like Lilliput,

Catmoss and Gini & Jony are facing trouble due to problems with their PE investors, other kids’ brands such as Mothercare, Mom & Me and Arvind are doing brisk business. Market studies on kids’ wear reveal it’s the fastest-growing segment in ready-to-wear apparels, and is expected to maintain an average growth of 13 percent till 2016. No wonder, the Rs 38,000 crores kids’ apparel industry is now witnessing players strategising their expansion plans.

For example, UK-based kids’ wear and maternity ware retailer Mothercare that had entered India in partnership with DLF, is now looking at a 50 percent growth in 2013-14 at Rs 200 crores. In 2012-13, it grew by 25 percent and witnessed a same-store growth of 20 percent. Similarly, Mom & Me, run by Mahindra Retail, is seeing positive growth momentum. It plans to open 30 stores in the current financial year, similar to its expansion in 2012-13. It runs as many as 110 stores.

The USP of brands like Mothercare and Mom & Me is being a one-stop shop for childcare and maternity needs for today’s on the move parents. They sell products ranging from strollers, child car-seats, furniture, food, skincare, footwear for babies to literature, maternity clothes and equipments for mothers, apart from kids’ wear. Parents find it convenient to shop at a store that meets all their needs.

While Mothercare and Mom & Me are targeting premium clientele, Arvind has various brands under its fold to cater to different customer segments. For instance, its licensed Cherokee caters to the value shopper, Elle Kids and US Polo Kids are for premium consumers, and Nautica (to be launched in September) and GANT are super premium brands. It also sells kids’ wear at its speciality retail chain Next and UK-based department store, Debenhams, for which it has the India rights.