Sri Lankan brands eye India entry via single brand route

After premium Sri Lankan brands Avirate and Amante entered India, another fashion and

lifestyle brand from the country, Odel is planning to foray by opening its own stores in India.

Odel aims to retail private labels under its fold through single brand outlets instead of offering the product range through multi-brand outlets. In Sri Lanka, Odel stores are mostly based in malls in Colombo selling several fashion and lifestyle private brands. The company already sources its requirements from India, so the mandatory local sourcing clause of 30 percent under single brand retail would not pose hurdle to the Sri Lankan retailer.

Premium lingerie brand Amante, the first Sri Lankan brand to enter India seven years ago, is also contemplating taking the single brand retail route to open its exclusive outlets in the country. At present, the brand is available through Mas Brands India, a subsidiary of its holding company, Mas Holdings in Sri Lanka. Amante also has three factories in India for global sourcing.

Third popular Sri Lankan woman’s western wear brand Avirate (part of the Timex group) is present in the country for the past three years through the single brand retail route. The company has been witnessing annual growth of 45 percent in the country. It aims to launch 64 stores in the next three years, including some large format stores.