The Hindu Business Line : Hasbro eyes nation-wide footprint

Intending to expand its retail horizon across the country, Hasbro Clothing Pvt Ltd is all set to take its menswear brands — Genesis and Basics — to the North. In the West, the company recently opened a showroom in Ahmedabad at the new Gallop Mall.

To cover the eastern market, the company is planning a tie up with retail distributor Shweta Trading of Kolkata to make its merchandise available in West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam, and the rest of the North-Eastern region.

"Our plan is to open 19 more stores before the end of this fiscal across the country taking our total number of outlets to 45," says Mr Mohammed Hanif, Director, Hasbro Clothing Pvt Ltd.

It also has two showrooms in Sri Lanka and three in the UAE.

"While Basics is a smart casualwear brand, Genesis is a formalwear brand. The décor and display at these new stores would reflect these distinct brand positionings," he says.

Hasbro has consolidated its position in the South with recent store openings in Hyderabad, Kochi, Salem and Bangalore. Apart from this, the Genesis and Basics brands are also available in 600 multi-brand outlets in the South.

"The sales through these multi-brand outlets account for 60 per cent of our revenues and exclusive brand outlets (EBOs) contribute the rest. Our intention is to reverse this trend. We want our EBOs to generate more revenues," he says.

The company's showrooms are in the range of 1,200 sq.ft. to 1,300 sq.ft. According to Mr Haniff, on an average, EBOs of any apparel brand register optimum revenue of Rs 30 per sq.ft. a day, which, he says, is necessary to keep afloat in the market. "One needs to use the available shelf space very effectively. Keeping that in mind, apart from coming out with new collections every season, we are planning to extend our product line to denims range and accessories such as belts, caps, innerwear and shoes soon," he says.

As part of its customer relationship management exercise, it recently launched a frequent buyer programme. According to him, Hasbro Clothing hopes to achieve a turnover of Rs 90 crore this fiscal. "We are very much on track to achieve this goal," says Mr Hanif.

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