News: Versace, Gucci, Valentino queue up for India entry
(TNN 11/04/2006) New Delhi - Is India the next China for global luxury brands such as Gucci, Prada or Versace? Though it’s still early, the rush of luxury brands seems to suggest that India is the new flavour for high priests of luxury from Paris, Milan to New York.
Be it a Kenzo, Fendi, Ferragamo, Versace, Gucci or Valentino, everyone is making a beeline to hang their brand shingles in India. A comparatively older player in the fray, the French luxury goods conglomerate, LVMH — with brands such as Louis Vuitton, Tag Heuer and the just-launched in India, Christian Dior — is one of the few luxury groups with a fairly large India presence, courtesy its 100 multi-brand outlets across the country. Other global luxury groups, such as Swatch, with brands like Longines and Omega, and Richemont, with Piaget and Cartier, have also been around for some time now, again mainly through multi-brand outlets.
New entrants seem to be on an overdrive to ramp up their presence in India. Chanel India, which opened its only boutique in March ’05 in Delhi, is looking to open a second exclusive store in Mumbai soon. The brand, which is also present through Chanel counters, intends to add 10-12 more counters in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore this year. Dior, which recently opened its first store in New Delhi, is actively looking at Mumbai. Everyone is eager to please the Indian tastes, even while maintaining global oneness of brand merchandise.
“The collections available at the Chanel boutique in New Delhi are exactly the same as the other boutiques around the world. We also display what the customers appreciate. Besides leather bags, we also have fabric bags that take into account the Indian weather and we have introduced a collection of small evening bags to compliment saris,” says a Chanel India spokesperson.
While a Chanel nail-colour costs Rs 1,050, a leather bag goes up all the way to Rs 51,000. The Chanel boutique in New Delhi offers ready-to-wear fashion accessories, such as leather bags and shoes, eyewears, watches, fragrances and make-up products, as well as the precision skincare line. In a new market with highly-regulated retail environment, almost all global luxury brands need an Indian partner to hand-hold them.
There is Entrack International India, which manages the Mont Blanc, Canali and Girard-Perregaux stores in India. Other Indian partners in the market are: the Jashnmai group, Dubai, which manages the sole Burberry store in Mumbai, Bin Hendi, Dubai, associated with Hugo Boss, Sports Station, which is associating with Aigner and Moschino being handled by Charu Sachdeva in Mumbai.
Gucci, too, has a franchisee tie-up with the Murjanis to bring the luxury brand into India. They will open their outlets by the end of the year or early next year. The Murjani group hopes to make its presence stronger by getting other brands such as Jimmy Choo, Fcuk, Calvin Klein, Tumi & Build-a-Bear. The Murjani group was also behind getting Tommy Hilfiger to the Indian shores in ’04.
Be it a Kenzo, Fendi, Ferragamo, Versace, Gucci or Valentino, everyone is making a beeline to hang their brand shingles in India. A comparatively older player in the fray, the French luxury goods conglomerate, LVMH — with brands such as Louis Vuitton, Tag Heuer and the just-launched in India, Christian Dior — is one of the few luxury groups with a fairly large India presence, courtesy its 100 multi-brand outlets across the country. Other global luxury groups, such as Swatch, with brands like Longines and Omega, and Richemont, with Piaget and Cartier, have also been around for some time now, again mainly through multi-brand outlets.
New entrants seem to be on an overdrive to ramp up their presence in India. Chanel India, which opened its only boutique in March ’05 in Delhi, is looking to open a second exclusive store in Mumbai soon. The brand, which is also present through Chanel counters, intends to add 10-12 more counters in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore this year. Dior, which recently opened its first store in New Delhi, is actively looking at Mumbai. Everyone is eager to please the Indian tastes, even while maintaining global oneness of brand merchandise.
“The collections available at the Chanel boutique in New Delhi are exactly the same as the other boutiques around the world. We also display what the customers appreciate. Besides leather bags, we also have fabric bags that take into account the Indian weather and we have introduced a collection of small evening bags to compliment saris,” says a Chanel India spokesperson.
While a Chanel nail-colour costs Rs 1,050, a leather bag goes up all the way to Rs 51,000. The Chanel boutique in New Delhi offers ready-to-wear fashion accessories, such as leather bags and shoes, eyewears, watches, fragrances and make-up products, as well as the precision skincare line. In a new market with highly-regulated retail environment, almost all global luxury brands need an Indian partner to hand-hold them.
There is Entrack International India, which manages the Mont Blanc, Canali and Girard-Perregaux stores in India. Other Indian partners in the market are: the Jashnmai group, Dubai, which manages the sole Burberry store in Mumbai, Bin Hendi, Dubai, associated with Hugo Boss, Sports Station, which is associating with Aigner and Moschino being handled by Charu Sachdeva in Mumbai.
Gucci, too, has a franchisee tie-up with the Murjanis to bring the luxury brand into India. They will open their outlets by the end of the year or early next year. The Murjani group hopes to make its presence stronger by getting other brands such as Jimmy Choo, Fcuk, Calvin Klein, Tumi & Build-a-Bear. The Murjani group was also behind getting Tommy Hilfiger to the Indian shores in ’04.
posted by InCar Group Press Room at 13:58
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