The Hindu Business Line : Aigner comes to India

Mr Olaf Drubba, Sales Director, Etienne Aigner AG (left) with Mr Sunil Taneja, Director, Sports Station Pvt Ltd at a press conference to announce Aigner's entry into India in the Capital on April 1. — Kamal Narang

New Delhi , April 1

INTERNATIONALLY acclaimed German lifestyle brand, Aigner, has entered the Indian market. Etienne Aigner AG, the company behind the Aigner brand has, in association with Sports Station India Pvt Ltd, set up the first Aigner store in India in the Capital.

Sports Station India Pvt Ltd, which is the exclusive distributor for Aigner in India, plans to set up three more Aigner stores (two in Mumbai and one, most probably, in Bangalore) in India in the next three years.

Aigner offers a wide range of products including leather, fashion and accessories, catering to the high-end and fashion conscious customer segments.

"India is a key emerging market and will be a great one in the future. We are already here to build brand consciousness before a lot many of our competition enters the Indian market," Mr Olaf Drubba, Director-Sales International, Etienne Aigner AG, told newspersons here.

Mr Sunil Taneja, Director, Sports Station Pvt Ltd, said that there are large numbers of consumers in India who are turning out to be truly global Indian consumers.

"We intend to tap this highly fashion conscious segment. Our job is to create the Aigner environment in India and reach out to the Indian consumer. All the products would be imported," Mr Taneja told Business Line.

Mr Taneja, however, declined to project the sales picture even as he held that the operations are expected to break-even in a year's time.

As regards pricing of the products, Mr Taneja said that the Aigner ladies bags are priced between Rs 15,000 and Rs 75,000 per bag. The Aigner shoes are priced between Rs 18,000 and Rs 25,000 per pair. Stating that persons in the age group of 30-50 are the present target for Aigner, Mr Drubba also said that the company plans to attract younger customers to Aigner products through "aggressive pricing" (lower price points). He also said that Aigner would differentiate itself from other competitors through its unique design.