Having roped in Mandira Bedi as its brand ambassador, Bodycare the brand known for its lingerie is now looking forward to major growth. With a turnover of Rs 50 crores last year they are targeting Rs 100 crores in 2011. “We started Bodycare
in 1992 with Rs four lakh and began with panties. Our business prospered and every year and we grew by 100 per cent. In 2011, I want the company to reach Rs 100 crores,” says Sanjay Dawar, Director, Bodycare Creations. And to achieve this they are going in for expansion with a huge factory. The new factory is spread over one lakh sq. ft. “It is the biggest lingerie factory in India. In all we will have six factories. We hope to start the new factory by April 2011 and it will enhance my production ten-fold,” he says. It may be noted the brand is also known for its thermals but as Dawar says a couple of years back he split with his partners. “They have the kids’ and thermals division and I have men’s and women’s innerwear division.”
Perhaps what makes Dawar so optimistic is that even during the economic downturn the lingerie segment was not affected. “We had a 50 per cent growth in that period. And now the market is doing very well,” he avers. His product range includes bras, panties, camisoles, sports bras, leggings, tummy control panties and sanitary panties, made of cotton, which are washable and reusable. By February or March he plans to launch panties for teens called ‘Teen Star’. For summers they are coming up with new lingerie designs. “So far we were doing bras only in B cups. For summer we will have C and D too in a colorful cotton range. This is something nobody has done in India so far. It’s called the BCD collection,” he informs.
Meanwhile Bodycare has become a trendsetter of sorts by signing in Mandira Bedi as their celeb brand ambassador. “So far in India celeb endorsement of undergarments has been restricted to males because only men’s undergarments have companies with turnovers of Rs 200 or Rs 500 crores. I thought I would have a celebrity for women’s undergarments and be a trendsetter. We wanted someone who in the public eye and who better than Mandira Bedi, who’s always in the news,” says Dawar. They plan to introduce a signature line with her. “Next year, I am planning a TV commercial with a celebrity. Who that will be, I can’t say now.”
The brand has a wider reach and is being retailed through 8,000 counters as of now. They also have a Bodycare showroom which is in Rohini, Delhi. It’s about 350 sq. ft. and company-owned and managed. The brand has plans of increasing their retail counters by 500 in 2011. It’s also present in large formats like Reliance, Spencer and Lifestyle.
