Turtle on an expansion spree pan India

Turtle one of India's fastest growing menswear brands has drawn out major expansion plans to consolidate its position across India. The brand is planning to open 10 more exclusive outlets by March 2011. It’s also looking at foraying into more MBOs

and large format stores. At the moment, they have 32 EBOs and are present in 1,200 MBOs in addition to many large formats like Central (11 stores), Globus (4 stores), Lifestyle (7 stores), Pantaloons (33 stores) and Shoppers Stop (3 stores).

The brand that started off in 1993 with primary focus on men's readymade shirts had a very modest beginning. They began with a manufacturing capacity of 20 shirts per day for supplies to an in-house retail store. The company has evolved greatly since then. And as the brand’s director Amit Ladsaria says, “We are now a force to reckon with in the apparel industry and provide a complete range of dressing and accessories for men.” From 20 shirts per day the brand has now scaled up to manufacturing 1.5 lakh shirts and 25,000 trousers per day from its two manufacturing units based in Kolkata and Bangalore. Ladsaria adds, “We are planning to increase capacities within the existing facilities.” Incidentally, the brand sees the Kerala market as having a lot of potential.

Aimed at the upwardly mobile young men the brand’s bestselling product is formal shirts made out of 100 per cent cotton. Besides shirts it has a varied product line from trousers to T-shirts, suits and accessories. In fact, the brand is very bullish about the future. In 2009-10 fiscal they closed at `65 crores and are looking at a turnover of ` 90 crores in 2010-11.

Turtle launched their e-commerce site recently. Ladsaria says they have also launched a CRM program. Where by customers may buy any Turtle product in their exclusive store or online and become members. “Members will periodically receive email updates on new collections and other information. Customers may burn their points in donating for the conservation of Turtles. We shall time to time update them on the activities on the turtle conservation program. We may also invite them to the conservation area in Orissa.”

Turtle runs a successfully CSR program which was commissioned in 2006. The brand had then taken a pledge to conserve turtles which are becoming extinct. “We are supporting Wildlife Society of Orissa for conservation of fresh water turtles in downstream Mahanadi and the rare Olive Ridley turtles in coastal Orissa. Surveys, research, discovery of new species of turtles, awareness among villages and fishermen on the benefits of conservation, coordinating with local forest department for stopping poaching and illegal trade are the jobs undertaken for the conservation of turtles,” he explains.