Chic Carissimo’s goals -- open EBOs for fashion, lifestyle lingerie

Chic Carissimo the popular ladies lingerie brand is planning to extend its product category by the end of 2011. Their product expansion plans includes starting a new range of sportswear for women that includes sports bras, track/jogging pants, and sports accessories.

Also on the anvil is the launch of women’s sleep/loungewear. The brand known for over 22 years as just ‘Chic’ was revamped earlier this year and renamed Chic Carissimo – Carissimo in Spanish means ‘close to ones heart’. The brand’s core product has always been women’s and girl’s panties and they have already introduced camisoles/sports bras. “With a ready customer base, and the eye for the best, we see no problem in starting a lingerie-cum-sleepwear line. By 2012, we should be looking at our own retail stores of a complete lifestyle and fashion range of lingerie for women. By early 2011, we will be launching training bras for girls between 11 to 15 years. Also opportunities are there to start a boys line of briefs/vest/bermudas/sleepwear and loungewear. All these products are a part of our growth plan,” says Geeta Singh, Director, A Klass Fashions

Meanwhile, for the autumn/winter the brand is launching a range with mostly darker and bright colors. The color palettes include very bold colors such as fushia, lilac, red and royal blue. The collection includes animal skin prints, embellished with laces and trims. The range is targeted at the young, bubbly yet fiercely competitive uber cool girls.

With the opening of offices in five major metros -- Delhi, Mumbai Hyederabad, Chennai and Ahmedabad -- the brand has been able to make inroad into Tier II-III cities in these states. In Punjab, they are present in cities like Bhatinda, Patiala, Moga and Muktsar. Similarly, they are making inroads into smaller cities of Gujarat. “MBOs and lingerie stores are growing at a very fast pace. And being a reputed brand, our business growth is immense because of this. We have 3,000 plus hosiery shops and MBOs all over the country and we plan to tap UP, West Bengal and eastern India. By 2012-13, we plan to open EBOs. In large formats we are already present in Hypercity and Bharti Wal-Mart. Other LFS are mainly interested in private labels, which we are doing for Westside and Lifestyle,” informs Singh.

With a more than 100 per cent growth over the last year (2009-10) the company is expecting a turnover of around Rs 160 to 200 million this year. In the next 3-5 years the brand is looking at just reaping the profits back in the company, to tackle expansions plans. “We want to add two more elastic manufacturing machines from Italy, and an in-house printing facility with advanced technology to get the quality that can pass international standards. If opportunities are there for funding through IPO’s we are definitely open to that,” concludes Singh.