Celio: Exclusive stores and shop-in-shops in the pipeline

Known for stylish yet accessible menswear clothing, French brand Celio which is growing at 41 per cent per annum in India, hopes to keep its growth momentum at 30-40 per cent for the next 3-4 years. Elaborating on the brand’s plans, Rajiv Nair,

CEO, Celio says, “With the launch in Jaipur, Kochi and Chandigarh, we hope to add another 15 stores by 2013 and 20 shop-in-shops a year.”

The Celio range is currently available in 30 standalone stores across Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Mysore, Kanpur and over 120 shop in shops at Shoppers Stop, Lifestyle, Pantaloons and Central. “Celio is strong in the digital space with over 66,000 fans on facebook. It also has a presence on Twitter and Pinterest. Being a male brand, the connect to technology is crucial,” Nair explains.

The brand is present in India since 2008 and has had over three years of business experience in the market. In France, its among the market leaders in the mid segment apparel for men and has a worldwide turnover of over 1 billion euros (over Rs 5,000 crores). Ceilo operates in over 65 countries. It offers essentials like polos, bermudas, basic linens to smart wear like fashion pullovers, fashion shirts, cargoes, arc fit trousers, fashion polos, suits and jackets, and accessories like scarves, belts and hats. The pricing is affordable and value for money vis-a-vis premium designer brands.

“We are very strong in linen and had 20 options in linen shirts last season. We not only do colours but styles in linen. This time, we are adding linen to bottom wear. We will have shorts and pants in linen and are doing polos in a big way. We have polos in many fits and styles. We are also getting some Italian washed denims this time for summer,” states Nair.

Celio is one of the only international brands to focus exclusively on a full wardrobe solution for men. Its products are styled for the global Indian. The styles are in line with latest global fashion trends being designed in Paris and sourced from across Asia (Bangladesh, China, Vietnam and Cambodia), parts of Africa and Europe. The brand has two concepts, Celio Red and Celio Club. Celio Red is formal and casual urban wear. Celio Club is absolute formal. This includes jackets, blazers, formal shirts and formal pants. Adds Nair, “We have Celio Club in some of our stores in India. In future, we will extend this range to more stores and also offer more casual wear. We will bring in more shirts into the market. We also tailor winter wear to Indian winter conditions.” The brand has also launched footwear in some stores.