Van Heusen focuses on non-apparel segment, Tier II cities

Van Heusen the popular brand from Madura Fashion & Lifestyle’s stable is looking at spreading its footprint in Tier II cities while focusing on non-apparels range. With a turnover at Rs 1,000 crores, the company aims to keep above the industry

growth rate for the next five years.

Vinay Bhopatkar, Brand Head, Van Heusen explains, “Festive season in Kerala and East indicated increased spending especially in apparels and accessories. We believe this trend will continue with double digit growth being reported compared to last year’s festive season. This indicates that whatever the market scenario, the Indian consumer will continue to spend.”

Shifting focus on non-apparel segment

From a small presence in men's ties and belts, Van Heusen’s non-apparel business has grown many fold. It is now ramping up its presence in accessories like belts, ties, women's shoes and bags. “We see good demand for these products and over the next five years, expect the non-apparel business to contribute significantly to our expansion plans. We recently opened an exclusive accessories store in Lulu Mall, Cochin and plan to expand our presence in this category aggressively. We are looking for partners to support this expansion,” explains Bhopatkar.

Last year, the brand also entered men's footwear segment in a small way to complete the full ensemble. The products have been well accepted. And buoyed by its success, Van Heusen is expanding the line as well as its presence in this category.

Van Heusen has four sub categories catering to consumers in the age group 25-45 years. Van Heusen Formals, V Dot, Van Heusen Sport and Van Heusen Woman are labels offered under the company’s portfolio. On its Autumn/Winter 2013 range, Bhopatkar says, “We have introduced several special collections this season, which include ‘Ceremonial Solids’ under Van Heusen that has a range of shirts in vibrant solid colours and Celeb collection under V Dot –a concept driven exclusive collection under our club wear range. The Limited Edition collection for Women co-created with Deepika Padukone is pegged around ‘old Hollywood’ glamour.”

Retail expansion on a roll

“We have 215 exclusive brand outlets and are also present in over 800 MBOs and in almost all doors of Shopper Stop, Lifestyle, Central and Pantaloons. About 40 percent of our business comes from exclusive retail formats and rest from other formats,” says Bhopatkar. With growing popularity in Tier II cities, the brand is now increasing its presence there. “Every year, we open at least 50-60 exclusive stores throughout the country. Going forward, significant percentage of these would be in Tier II, III cities,” opines Bhopatkar.

He says east is a completely untapped market and they see a huge growth potential there. Some of the eastern states are growing faster than national average. Moreover, the Northeast has always been a fashion-forward market especially in western wear. “Now, we are focusing on this region and consolidating our presence by opening stores in Guwahati, Silchar, Dimapur, Gangtok and Agartala.”