Cambridge to open exclusive women’s outlets

Cambridge, the well-known menswear brand is now looking to open exclusive EBOs for women. The plan is to open at least eight to nine exclusive women’s stores in Mumbai. Plans are also on for Cambridge to become a pan-India brand by March 2012.

Narendra G Bhatia, Director, Cambridge elucidates, “In the north, we want to open at least 10 stores. The total number of stores by the end of 2012 should be 200 across India. This includes exclusive stores and shop-in-shops. We would also want to push our women’s wear through MBOs.

Currently, it’s just being sold through our own stores.” Cambridge’s women’s line includes formal work wear, shirts, trousers and blazers. Denims are a part of the women’s line but in a scattered manner. “There is a greater response to formal women’s, which is why we have tapped this market. In our price bracket, it’s a killer product,” he adds.

Cambridge mostly has EBOs and there are 40 to 50 stores in Maharashtra alone. In the south, they have stores in Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. There are five stores in Goa, six in Gujarat, seven in Madhya Pradesh and eight in Rajasthan. As far as MBOs go, they are present in about 25-odd MBOs in Karnataka, 10 to 12 (shop-in-shops) in Tamil Nadu. Kerala has around 300 MBOs and no EBOs.

In fact, the brand sees tremendous potential in the south especially in Tamil Nadu. “Tamil Nadu is brand loyal. We are tying up with a few houses to have counters there. At the same time, we will also have EBOs there. In Andhra Pradesh by Diwali we should have 10 stores,” avers Bhatia.

Cambridge’s menswear product portfolio includes innerwear, accessories, formal shirts, casual shirts, denim, cotton trousers, formal trousers, blazers, T-shirts and suits. “We can safely claim to be the first brand to sell readymade blazers,” says Bhatia. With an intention to cover every aspect of men’s clothing, the brand is thinking of adding products like footwear and eyewear to their line. Bhatia elaborates, “We already have accessories like ties, handkerchiefs, belts, socks. Cambridge also has ethnic wear in its collection. So we have everything a man would need except shoes. Footwear is on the agenda but we would not venture into that soon. In the long run, we would also have sunglasses and perfumes.”

Presently, they are Rs 100 crores company based on MRP value. By March ’11 they expect a 30 per cent growth.