Mafatlal forms joint venture with Al Fahim Group

Mafatlal Industries has inked a 51:49 joint venture (JV)

with Dubai-based Al Fahim Group for marketing and distribution of its textile brand in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) and African countries. Through the JV, Mafatlal (with a minority stake of 49 percent) would be selling school uniforms, corporate wear, bed sheets and towels under the co-brand Al Fahim Mafatlal in the region.

The Al Fahim Group has a presence in a variety of sectors including automotive, oil, hospitality, industrial, property, travel and tourism. It also distributes auto brands such as Mercedes-Benz, Jeep, Fiat, Bosch and Michelin in the automotive sector in the UAE. It owns retail formats such as Paris Gallery and Watch Gallery in the region.

On the domestic market front, Mafatlal would only focus on the school uniform and office wear segment apart from the newly entered bed sheets and towels segment. Retail expansion is also in the pipeline with the company wanting to add MBOs rather than investing in more standalone stores. Mafatlal is already supplying its bed and bath collections to cash-and-carry formats such as Carrefour and Bharti Wal-Mart, along with a host of other retailers such as Shoppers Stop and Lifestyle. E-commerce is another avenue which the textile company intends to tap into in the future.