Fruit of the Loom: Boosting India presence with new lines

A 100 per cent subsidiary of Bertshire Hathaway, Fruit of the Loom the innerwear and outerwear brand for men, women and kids is now moving ahead. The, company is looking to add a thermal wear range to its portfolio by year end.

Opines Shrikant Raghavan, VP Sales and Marketing, Fruit of the Loom India, “Our focus now is on building the brand with a strong brand recognition, and an ability to produce a significant volume of products, we will build a trustworthy relationship with retailers and consumers in India. For more than 150 years, Fruit of the Loom has satisfied consumers in North America, Central America, Europe and Asia by delivering quality products.”

Launched in India in 2009 the brand offers both men’s innerwear in knits and wovens. “We have women’s intimate apparels. Our women’s intimates are right now focused on the briefs. In bras, we have a few sports bras, camisoles and slips. This is not an extensive range and we are looking at developing it over the next two years. We have children’s inner wear both for boys and girls and casual wear for men and women. It has crew T-shirts, V necks, men’s shorts, women’s lounge wear,” Raghavan says elaborating on the product range.

In April the brand introduced some new styles in innerwear for men and women specifically meant for summer. “We are also looking for lounge wear for women in wovens. Till last year, we had two new additions every year. This year we are trying to make it at least four. Some new products will hit the market by September.”

In India, Fruit of the Loom range is present in nearly 50 cities. They have covered almost 5,000 doors. “We are present in large format stores and regular stores. We are with Shoppers Stop, Central, Globus and will soon be in some other big chains. Apart from the domestic market, we may explore South East Asia in consultation with the head office in the US. But at the moment we have our hands full with India. We’d establish ourselves firmly here and then look to neighboring countries.”

Fruit of the Loom a Warren Buffet company dates back to 1851 when Benjamin and Robert Knight bought their first mill in Rhode Island, US, and began producing cotton cloth and textiles. Five years later, the brand adopted the symbol of fruits. In 1893, came the new logo that included apples, grapes, gooseberries and leaves. In 1974, Fruit of the Loom entered the European market. In 1987, the brand added men’s fashion underwear, women’s underwear, socks, and sportswear. In 2005 the company launched its products in China and in 2009 the brand launched its premium product range in India.