Ramraj Cotton eyes northward expansion

Apparel manufacturer Ramraj Cotton has ventured into formal and casual shirt category as a part

of its product portfolio expansion plan. It is now looking at venturing into north India through franchisees in April. At the moment, it enjoys a presence in the four southern states. Also on the agenda is to achieve a turnover target of Rs 600 crores by the end of March and around Rs 1,000 crores by the end of the year.

After catering to the dhoti market for many years, Ramraj went on to introduce shirts to woo customers below 35 years, who form a chunk of the total population. It has also roped in cricketer Ashwin Ravichandran as its brand ambassador for the newly launched segment. The company has augmented its production, from making 10,000 shirts a day, to 30,000 pieces with an investment of Rs 50 crores into its production facility.

Ramraj has added diversified products like readymade pure silk shirts, ladies wear, linen shirts, new premium inner garments, T-shirts and kids’ wear with an aim to cater to the larger and pan India audience. The shirts are priced between Rs 600 to Rs 6,000. It would only sell white clothes and has around 6,000 people weaving 2,500 varieties of dhoties annually. At present, almost 50 percent of the turnover comes from Tamil Nadu, while the rest is from the other three states. The dhoti business accounts for 70 percent of its turnover.