The Hindu Business Line : Footwear brand Clarks puts its best foot forward

THE UK-based footwear brand, Clarks, which entered India a few months back, is on an expansion spree. The company has recently set up stores in Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Bangalore and is going to open a store each in Kolkata and Delhi next month.

Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Ms Sarah Lynch, International Director, Clarks, said the Asian market, especially India, has immense potential to grow, and therefore, the company plans to open at least one store a month in the major cities. "The company, internationally, increased its sales from 34 per cent to 64 per cent, which was primarily driven by the Asian markets."

She said the company plans to invest £100 million in the Indian market to set up systems and putting together a proper distribution network. Ms Lynch also said the company would consider setting up production facilities in India at a later stage.

"However, the immediate focus would be on setting up systems and understanding the Indian market and its nuances."

Clarks has positioned itself as non-sports lifestyle footwear brand for men, women and children which offers a range of both casual and formal footwear. The shoes are priced from Rs 2,500 onwards.

"Clarks offers comfort with style," said Mr Nilesh Handa, Director, Lifestyle Asia, the brand's distributor in India.

Mr Handa said the Rs 8,000 crore footwear market in India focuses more on styling and tends to overlook the comfort bit. "We will try to educate consumers how important it is to wear a comfortable pair of shoes and how it impacts on health."

Ms Lynch also said Clarks would ensure that its international collection is launched simultaneously in the Indian market at the same price.

She said Clarks, worldwide, is the biggest non-sports lifestyle shoe brand with 45 million pairs of shoes sold annually and a $1 billion turnover in 2004.

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