Shloka, the ethnic wear brand, is looking forward to its association with stores and new MBOs along with opening new stores. The brand has equal presence in big cities and small towns and is expanding simultaneously in both. “We are focused on
growing our business in smaller towns. We feel they possess huge business opportunities for a smart brand that needs to widen its base,” says Nikhil Khimshia, Director, Shloka. He believes that India is growing through its small towns. People spend lavishly on weddings there. Also, it’s not possible to do business only in metros therefore, it’s important for brands to focus on smaller cities. Moreover, they have a strong demand for premium products. About competition from unbranded or regional players, Khimshia says consumers there are still price-conscious. They need to know more about brands. “When you design for metros, pricing doesn’t matter but it plays a big role in small towns. Consumers want good designs but at a lower price. We have a special segment for Tier II cities. For instance, the wholesale prices of kurtas start at Rs 2,500 in smaller towns.” Cities like Indore, Lucknow and Kochi are playing a big role in the ethnic market and promise a good future. “We are in Gujarat, Delhi, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. We also have a presence in UP, MP and Andhra Pradesh.”
On the scope of ethnic wear in the exports market Khimshia avers, “The ethnic wear market is very good especially in the UK and US and Canada. We are also targeting Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Malaysia. We have confined our kids wear range to exports only. These are ethnic products for kids like kurta pajamas and depending on the response, we may also add sherwanis.”
Interestingly, the brand had planned to enter the junior wear market in India last year but the plans didn’t work out. Now they are planning it for next summer with a trial run in some Tier II cities. “We will start with around 25 different patterns.” For the forthcoming winter/festive season Shloka will have grand rajawadis inspired from royal Rajasthan. “This time we are focusing on cuts, silhouettes and colors. You won’t see much embroidery in our products,” he adds.
Shloka already has a presence in 250 MBOs. Its present in chain stores across Andhra Pradesh and in Ritu Wears, Appeal, Jindal and CnM. “We are concentrating on the north -- Delhi and UP. We are looking at the festive and marriage season ahead as also the winter. Also, our exports to the US and UK are doing well. Because of the excise, our exclusive store plans have been hit. We wanted to open a store in Bandra, Mumbai but had to shelve the idea and turn to MBOs and retail chains,” opines Khimshia.