The Hindu Business Line : V.I.P. buys out Carlton brand of UK

Carlton International recently went into receivership. The acquisition covers Carlton's entire range of award winning designs and other intellectual property rights as well as the equipment to make Carlton's 22 ranges of hard and soft-sided luggage.

V.I.P. Industries has established a wholly-owned subsidiary in London, Carlton Travel Goods Ltd. "We believe that Carlton's strong brand identity in international markets, and particularly in Europe, and V.I.P.'s cost competitive manufacturing and sourcing capabilities will be a winning combination," says Mr Dilip G. Piramal, Chairman of the Indian company.

The UK subsidiary will distribute both the Carlton and V.I.P. brands, becoming a major platform for V.I.P. to develop a significant presence in Europe. With its competitive strengths, V.I.P. already has sophisticated trend-setting designs that have found global acceptance.

V.I.P. products such as Strolly, Compacta, Elanza (which boasts of two world patents and a original design) as well as more recent introductions such as Skate, have propelled the company into the global marketplace.

V.I.P. products are currently exported to several countries including the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, West Asia, Hong Kong, and Africa. Superior products and sustained brand-building have ensured the products' strong presence in these markets. Nonetheless, a local presence in Europe will undoubtedly bolster earlier efforts. Moreover, the acquisition will bring Carlton to India. "With this move, our customers can now select from three of the world's four major luggage brands: V.I.P., Delsey and Carlton," remarked Mr Piramal. V.I.P. has been manufacturing select Delsey products in India since 2001. Carlton has won several awards for its design, including the cutting edge Icon range, Airtec and Option. These awards have come from independent organizations such as UK's British Design and Art Direction, France's Laboratorie National D'Essai, Germany's Geprifte Sicherheit and Stichthing Ivha of The Netherlands.

``The Carlton acquisition is a continuation of V.I.P.'s on-going efforts to make world-class products for export markets as well as domestic luggage buyers," added Mr Piramal.