Peter England to foray into bags segment

Peter England, the leading brand from Madura Fashion and

Lifestyle and part of Aditya Birla Group, is evaluating options to foray into ethnic wear, body spray, footwear and home furnishing businesses during the next three years. The company, a strong player in the men’s wear category has already entered into the non-apparel business with the launch of PE (Peter England) bags aimed at the mid-market segment.

Peter England is owned by Madura Fashion & Lifestyle, a part of the Aditya Birla Nuvo group. The move to enter non-apparel segment was made with expectation of bringing in 12 per cent of its sales from it, this fiscal. It sees an opportunity in the Rs 1,800 crores luggage segment, which is has mostly unorganised players.
According to Kedar Apshankar, COO of Peter England, the Peter England consumer who was only seeking price earlier is now upgrading. While its shirts are priced between Rs 700 and Rs 1,400, its luggage line branded as ‘Companions’ would be retailed between Rs 1,000 and Rs 4,000. The collection would have small bags, laptop back packs, laptop cases, duffel bags, one-dayers and sleeves, refreshed with every season.

Peter England is entering the luggage market currently dominated by Samsonite and VIP. But it feels that Peter England will not directly compete with these brands since it is not focussing the serious travel segment. The company plans to target the youth segment and expects their geographical reach to help it differentiate from others. The brand has a presence across 700 towns with 525 exclusive outlets and 2,000 multi-brand stores. It intends to add around 100 stores in 2012-13.