The Hindu Business Line : Revived Hakoba plans lifestyle zone foray

From merely being some fine piece of embroidery on pastel fabric, Hakoba has set out to ride the retail revolution as a lifestyle name, within the country and abroad, all from the South.

In the recent months, it has already shown up as ready-to-stitch ethnic suits for men as well as women.

Soon there would be new avatars of Hakoba as home furnishing, upholstery, readymade Indian and Western wear; lingerie, fashion accessories such as belts, bags, footwear, scarves; and gift articles. It would be using its rich portfolio of 30,000 designs to offer innovative products and motifs.

"Name anything that has to do with embroidery, and Hakoba would have something for everyone, the sky is its limit," said Mr Harsh Vardhan Bassi, Executive Director, Pioneer Embroideries Ltd.

The country's leading embroidery fabric and lace maker acquired the brand and its idling facility in Mumbai two years ago and has been putting new shine to it.

Mr Bassi, who was in Bangalore today to launch Hakoba's second showroom in the city in a month, said this was the 15th outlet across nine cities. Most of them are franchised showrooms that are doing good business.

The Rs 100-crore PEL plans to have 100 Hakoba shops in the next five years, including in the UAE and the UK.

Without mentioning a value, Mr Bassi said PEL had made significant investments in the Hakoba turnaround; it had also modernised the Mumbai facility and acquired a South Korean machinery company and deployed its design studio, team of textile designers and employees to improve on the brand's `intrinsic value'. The company is also in final stages of a few more acquisitions.

PEL has a 15 per cent share in the Rs 700-crore domestic, largely wholesale embroidery market.

"Bangalore will become the base for our retail initiative in the South," he said.

"In the next phase, we are looking at expanding to other cities such as Mysore, Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and Madurai."

According to Mr Sharad Bhatia, GM-Operations of Hakoba Lifestyles, the embroidery has now taken on all hues and fabrics, added vibrant colours, and moved beyond conventional cotton into silk, organdie, synthetics and blends. Retail havens Bangalore and Chennai would be the hubs to drive up sales.

The stores, backed by fashion consultants and designers, will offer a wide range of fabric, designs and options from sarees priced around Rs 6,000 to salwar suits around Rs 600-800 and even men's kurtis at Rs 400.