Duke: New categories, more retail space on the anvil

With the aim of adding more shelf and retail space, Duke Fashions plans to foray into sportswear segment apart from exploring new export markets. Witnessing a steady 30 per cent growth over the last five years, the company is now

diversifying into new segments to provide an endless range of products such as T-shirts, jackets, sweaters, sweatshirts, tracksuits, thermals, jogging suits, shirts, denims and trousers, value packs, lounge wear and accessories for men, women and kids. Highlighting the strategy for growth, Kuntal Raj Jain, Director, Duke Fashions says, “We are targeting a turnover of Rs 250 crores next fiscal. And we also have plans for an IPO and PE funding in the near future. Currently we are just watching the market behavior and waiting for the right time to strike.”

The brand is well established in most states through more than 300 EBOs and over 3,000 MBOs. With the help of its exhaustive advertising and promotional campaigns, the company has entered the markets of UAE, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh and Jeddah. Moreover the products are also exclusively placed at big chain stores like Reliance, Bharti Wal-Mart, Metro, Spar, Coupon, Megamart, Carrefour and Central, Brand Factory and e-commerce platforms such as Yebhi.com, Fashionandyou.com, and so on.

A premium lifestyle brand Duke, combines absolute casualness with cool elegance. The company's values are based on its authentic fashion understanding heritage, dating back to 1966 when the brand was launched. Since then it has further developed, taking influence from the latest European fashion trends, and is now a pure Indian fashion brand with a pan India and international presence. Apart from offering a complete apparel range for men, women, and children, the brand has made deep inroads into the thermal, intimate wear, accessories markets as well.

As Jain says, “Dreams are what drive us. Ever since our inception in 1966, we have continued to deliver innovative knitwear and fabrics that have made key style statements. Creation of a unique corporate management system and culture is enabling us to develop into a conglomerate that becomes a role model of worldwide respect and trust. The group has embraced and taken forward the principles of total quality management which translates into doing ‘whatever it takes’ to guarantee 100 per cent customer delight.”

Adding further, he says, “Customer satisfaction begins at our drawing board. Every design is created with the need of customers foremost in our mind – we consider how they will fit our designs around their lifestyle. We have launched so many new ranges like organics, easy breezy, game, stardust, mercerized cottons etc to give consumers a new and vibrant look and feel of fashion and wearing and will surely be adding new dimensions to the same.”