Numero Uno on a fast growth track

Numero Uno, one of India’s first indigenously manufactured denim labels, is now on a new high while planning a continuous growth chart in terms of sales, product categories and adding a new product line in accessories such as footwear,

watches, fragrances, socks, caps and leather items. The premier jeanswear company, who considers Levi’s, Lee and Wrangler to be their closest competitor feels that denims still contribute to 45-50 per cent of total sales with the Espania range, which has premium washes ranging from Rs 2,099 to Rs 2,499 as their Numero Uno bestselling item. With a current turnover of 200 crores for apparels, Rs 30 crores for footwear and accessories, the company is looking forward to a projected growth of 25 to 30 per cent growth for FY ’12.

 “We do lots of experimentation with new fabric, washes, styles to match the latest trends. Our main focus is to provide garments with a natural fresh look and casual feel,” says Badal Chaudhary, CEO, Numero Uno Clothing.

“Over 400-500 options of styles are delivered to our stores every three months. In sync with international trends and forecast in fashion apparel, over 15 per cent of our contribution comes from accessories including footwear/frangrances,” he adds.

Numero Uno units are based at IMT Manesar and PMW complex Gurgaon in Haryana and  has plans to increase production capacity by 30 to 40 per cent The company follows a retail strategy of selling its products through their city channel partners or distributors, EBO-operated by franchisees and MBOs. At present it sells its products from around 120 EBOs, 300 MBOs and large format stores such as Shoppers Stop, Reliance Trends, Max Lifestyle and Bharati Wal-Mart. It is targeting to open 141-EBOs by the end of this financial year. They are looking at Delhi-NCR, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan as part of their retail expansion plans. Apart from its strong presence in the domestic market, the company has also made a modest beginning of exporting its products to Canada, US, Portugal, South Africa, and Nepal.

Numero Uno, incorporated in 1987 by Hi Fashion Clothing Company, started by primarily manufacturing jeans for men and slowly moved into jeans for women, eventually designing and manufacturing complete wardrobes for men and women. A knitting plant was set up for the production of T-shirts and sweaters a few years ago for both men and women. Having metamorphosed into a dynamic and responsive brand for the youth, today, it has the privilege of being one of the few power brands that fuses international trends, innovative fabrics, washes, treatments and accessible pricing.