Cotton County to push up MBO presence

Hoping that the October to February season turns out well because of festivals and marriages, men’s wear brand Cotton County is now focusing on increasing its presence through MBOs. Commenting on their strategy, Dharminder Batra, VP

Marketing says, “Last summer flopped and everyone had leftover stocks. If winter clicks, next summer will be very good. Our turnover is Rs 110 crores. We expect 15 per cent growth. Going forward we will be concentrating on MBOs which will be our main engine of growth for the next year.”

Adding further, he says, “We are present in 400 EBOs but that will be reduced to 300, whereas we are in 50 to 60 MBOs and the number will be increased to 300-400 in the next three to four months. We are withdrawing from the south and to some extent Maharashtra and concentrating on the remaining areas.”

The company also plans to move away from being a discount-driven brand. As Batra explains, “We are about the only discount brand still surviving in the market. We are now targeting customers of mid segment brands. We are moving away from the discount model. Earlier, we offered 40 or 50 per cent off or buy one, get one free. Now we give a maximum of 15 per cent discount. Earlier as a discount brand we didn’t have fashion. Now we have fashion so the quality and product is equal to the product and quality of a fresh brand.”

The parent company Cotton County Retail is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nahar Industrial Enterprises set up in 1949. “For Cotton County, quality has a significant importance of its own, which can describe the potential of the company in no time. We believe ‘If the quality is good, there is room for Cotton County to survive in this corporate world.’ Our parent company has been awarded with ISO 9002/IS 14002 Certification and Okotex Certification,” Batra elaborates.

Cotton County is largely targeted at the ‘value seeking’ consumer. Its different brands, Cotton County, French Republic Premium, and Youth 2216 cater to the lifestyle requirements of varied consumer groups. Largely a menswear brand it offers formal shirts, casual shirts, T- shirts, trousers, denims, cargos, capris and shorts, winter wear and suits. “We aim to meet the aspirations of our customers through our offerings of contemporary fashion and international quality at affordable prices. We look at every Indian as our customer and will operate on a pan-India basis in metros, Tier I, II and III cities. We will create a leadership position in this field by growing faster than competition,” Batra sums up.