Fida: Travels to smaller towns for bigger growth

Fida the premier women’s wear brand is happy with the way the summer season has panned out for them. As Sharad Nawalgadia, MD, SNG Fashions puts it, “Summers have been hot in the real sense as the season’s collection has generated more

numbers than expected. The cool colors and pastel shades were a big success among woman.” Popular for its bold cuts, exquisite embroideries and ethereal hues, the brand is now ready with a new collection for the forthcoming season.

The autumn/winter range from Fida showcases an enormous variety of ensembles to suit myriad moods. The collection, which includes kurtis, tunics, churidar, layered tunics et al, double up as traditional outfits taking fusion to a different level. Nawalgadia says being a fusion collection, the silhouettes are a perfect blend of Indian and western influences. But the essence is truly Indian in terms of value addition. With a focus on offering something unique, Fida’s design team has also worked on the color this time. Maroon and black dominate the collection. Apart from that jeweled tones like mauve, aubergine, green, ultramarine, rusty and neutral tones too can be seen.

The brand which started off its journey from Kolkata now has 22 stores across 13 cities in India. These are located in metros and small towns alike. From Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore to towns like Indore, Ranchi, Bhopal, Jaipur, Kanpur, Varanasi and Surat. The brand has spread out pan India. In fact, it’s increasing focus on smaller towns now. As Nawalgadia explains “Growth opportunities in smaller towns are certainly more than the bigger cities. The reason: increasing awareness towards branded products compared to local ones; exposure to media; availability of international brands; increasing disposable incomes and more women joining the professional field.” No wonder, Fida is now focusing on states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Chattisgarh, which they feel hold a lot of promise. “We plan to have 50 stores by 2013 across India. We do wish to increase our presence with more stores in cities where we are already present and at the same time explore new regions which are still unexplored and untapped,” he adds. Interestingly, the ratio of sales between big and small cities is 60: 40; where 60 per cent of sales are generated from bigger cities and 40 per cent from smaller ones. However, the brand feels in the next two to three years the ratio would probably be a balance of 1:1.

Along with expansion, Fida is looking for 50 per cent growth over the last financial year. “Half the year has gone by and till now results have been favorable. We plan to give benefits to our customers with offers round the year. This would help them enjoy the latest from Fida every month,” sums up Nawalgadia.