The Hindu Business Line : Italian brand Gas launching India-specific clothing line

The Italian brand will be sporting India styles in its range of organic and bamboo-based denims and focussing on hand made denims specifically designed for the Indian market.

Purvita Chatterjee

Mumbai, April 11 After completing a year in the Indian market, Italian brand Gas is now poised to ‘Indianise’ itself.

The 50:50 joint venture between Raymond Ltd and Grotto SPA forged last year under Gas India, is now planning to rope in Indian designers to launch an India-specific line of clothing. Speaking to Business Line, Mr Zohair Officewala, Chief Operating Officer, Gas India, said, “We are looking at appointing Indian designers as there are going to be additional requirements in terms of colours and fits for this market. Almost 10-15 per cent of the Gas collection would comprise India specific designs.”

The Italian brand will be sporting India styles in its range of organic and bamboo-based denims and focussing on hand-made denims specifically designed for the Indian market. Targeting consumers in the 18-35 age group, Gas is also offering a pricing which is 20 per cent less than the European market.

“Although we continue to import the brand, the multipliers are less in the Indian market and the brand is 20 per cent cheaper than the European markets,” claims Mr Officewala. Straddling all retailing formats ranging from its own exclusive branded outlets to having a presence in large format stores and multi brand outlets, Gas has been retailing its brand separately from Raymond’s network.

However, it does use the services of the suitings player while negotiating for property or even while appointing distributors. “Raymond has a different look altogether and being a partner it gives its full support, especially when it comes to appointing new distributors for Gas,” says Mr Officewala.

However, Gas does not believe in doing away with its stand alone stores in spite of the steep rentals involved in high street retailing. In fact the Gas exclusive stores are expected to generate a greater percentage of its total revenues compared to the rest of its retailing formats in future. “Stand alone stores are important when one wants to build the brand,” says Mr Officewala.

With plans of having 600 points of sale in the next three years, Gas is hoping to generate 55 per cent of its revenues from the franchise and stand alone stores and another 22 per cent revenues from the large format stores and the balance revenues from the multi brand outlets. Gas India hopes to get profitable next fiscal and achieve a Rs 200-crore turnover by 2011.

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