Sheen pushes retail through ecommerce, large formats

Sheen the women’s wear label from Al Nokhba, has unveiled a children’s line. And at the same time, the brand is planning to expand its presence through large formats and online platforms. Divulging details about the company’s retail plans, Deepak Dhar, Director, Al Nokhba said, “We will hold MBO

expansion for a year. Once our category is established, we will have six flagship stores owned by the company. These are planned for 2015. The average store size will be 500 square foot, with an investment of about Rs 30 lakh per store. The breakeven time is around three years. ”

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er gaining experience in garment exports, the company decided to enter the domestic market three years back. The aim was to fill the gap for western wear in India, which Dhar felt was not up to the mark especially in design, fabrics, finish, accessories and styling.

Expanding retail horizons

“We test marketed the product in Mumbai and Delhi. The launch was successful and within a year, we spread across 12 states in India. Right now, we are available in 16 states. We have more than 800 MBOs and are with C&M and Shri Sivam. For the women’s category we have 18 distributors,” explains Dhar.

The brand is present online on three platforms. As of now Sheen showcases its present collection but in future they plan to create a different collection for online retail. Dhar explains, “In offline retail, the customer gets to see the product, while online he can just visualize it. Online, a customer can’t distinguish between a discharged print and a digital print. Cut is not the only parameter to sell a garment. It’s the fabric, the feel, the richness of it.”

Dhar believes the advantage of online retail is that brands are able to control costs since they have no distribution or marketing costs hence, prices are competitive. “MBO driven brands who are thinking of going online and want to convert the same MRPs online won’t be totally successful,” opines, Dhar, adding, “If you want a certain portion of revenue to come from online the product has to be developed for that medium. Meanwhile, we are starting with large formats and have shortlisted six to seven chain stores. Within six months, we should be in two large formats. Large formats help in brand awareness but margins are low, whereas, online sales work as a device to clear stocks.”

Continued focus on women, kids range

Sheen earns 80 percent of its sale from bottom wear and denims. It makes indigo knit denims, woven knits and fashion categories in jacquards and twills. “We have skinny fits, but this season it’s the torn, rugged look that in vogue,” informs Dhar, adding, “Colors are subdued now. We have introduced jeggings. We are developing a new range of western tops.” Sheen also has a kids’ line with pants and tops for girls six to 18 years. For this line, the company already works with 12 distributors and is on the lookout for more.

Dhar feels brands like Sheen cater to only five or six per cent of the market, since a lot of products in the western category can’t be made in India because of the social environment here. Also, there are variations among regions. “That’s the most difficult challenge. Creating new markets is not easy. Body measurements are a problem,” he points out.