Replay exploring partnerships in India

Italian lifestyle denim maker Fashion Box SpA, owners of

Replay Jeans, is exploring new partnerships to rejig its retail as well as sourcing operations in India. The three-decade-old Italian firm is looking to forge a sourcing joint venture to tap the Indian market more effectively for its value-added garmenting needs. It’s also on the lookout for a similar deal or distribution pact intended to revive Replay’s retail presence in the country.

The entry of a new majority stakeholder in the parent Fashion Box is spurring fresh activity for Replay in key emerging markets like India. Entrepreneur investor Matteo Sinigaglia and family acquired a 60 per cent stake in Fashion Box from its founding promoter Claudio Buziol after one of Italy’s better known denim brands faced turbulence in the recent past. The parent’s annualized turnover was estimated at around 250 million euros a couple of years back.

Replay had a distribution deal with Pantaloon Retail. The Italian fashion house currently has marginal indirect sourcing from India, but plans to make a direct entry through a joint venture with a small sourcing specialist. This is part of Replay’s move to ramp up its annual sourcing from the country to $10 to $12 million in the immediate future.