Black Panther increases product and retail presence

Aiming to boost the popularity of the brand, Black Panther plans to undertake brand awareness exercise along with advertising through various mediums. “We are a known brand and we want to enhance awareness. For the next two years we would like to focus on that before we launch new categories like

shoes,” explains Sakshi Juneja, Manager-Key Account LFS & EBO, Black Panther.

Talking about the overall retail scenario, Juneja says that retail is still down. “Diwali hasn’t been great for the last two to three years. Even the current summer hasn’t been

great. People have become conservative about spending. Footfalls in malls have gone down. At one time, we used witnessed almost three-times the regular sales during Diwali,” she adds. Since, the company feels that hyper markets is the only category seeing retail growth, it has created a separate economy range. “This has lower MRPs. We concentrate more on depth than styles,” Juneja explains. The company also aims to open more EBOs.

Extending product range

Black Panther offers sportswear and swim wear for men, women and children. It also has a collection of head bands, bags and socks. “We have special workout gear called compression clothing. These are fitted tees and cycling shorts. They are treated a little differently. They keep the body warm. These are body-hugging and worn under a T-shirt. They are Dry Fit. They are also running gear,” states Juneja.

Juneja points out that when you look at a sports brand it’s taken for granted that they would also have shoes. “In fact, the first thing that comes to mind on thinking of a sportswear brand is shoes. Garments come next. So I don’t think we will have difficulty making a buyer accept Black Panther shoes. We will create them in sporty themes,” she informs.

From a 15 to 17 percent increase in turnover last financial year, the company expects to report a 20 percent hike, this year. It has four factories having a producing capacity of about 1,20,000 pieces a month. “For me, the men’s category sells the most. It’s about 60 percent. Women’s is 20 percent and kids’, 10 percent. Children have a small share because they are growing. So parents hesitate to spend. And because we are a sports brand, we don’t have jazzy designs which parents like. So they’d rather buy from the unorganised sector. With women it’s the same,” opines Juneja.

Expanding retail network

Black Panther is with 2,000 counters across India. It has six EBOs. “Over a year, I may open four or five new outlets. I don’t work on seasonal collections. A style that’s been doing very well for three years will continue with me. We discontinue a style when it goes out of flavour. So I am not left with dead stock. We have started with a chain called Total Mall in Bangalore,” says Juneja, elaborating on the retail presence.