• Investment World
• eWorld
• Catalyst
• Mentor
• Life
• Canvas
• Praxis
• Urban Pulse
• Brand Quest

Purvita Chatterjee

MUMBAI, April 14

SHOPPERS' Stop Ltd has seen its women's western wear segment growing by 35 per cent this year. According to an internal survey done by the retail chain on women's western wear, this particular segment is expected to have the highest potential this year and is going to be the focus category in the future.

Speaking to Business Line, a Marketing Manager at the store in Mumbai said, "While the category is already showing a very high growth, it has higher potential this year especially with established men's brands entering this category." Of late, the men's brands, which have forayed into the women's wardrobe, comprise Allen Solly, Provogue, Scullers and Black Berry's.

"Other than these big brands, we also see emerging brands such as Weekender, MTV, Oobe and Upper Class launching good collections every season. A few exporters of women's western wear garments to international brands are also keen on making inroads into this fast-growing category," adds the Marketing Manager.

According to the findings of the survey, the unorganised sector currently dominates this category with inexpensive products. At the same time a large proportion of imported stuff also gets sold through this channel at very attractive prices. But now women are moving towards the organised format because of better quality, size, availability, fits and a better range to choose from.

Currently, Shoppers' Stop sells two of its in-store womenswear brands — Stop and Life. These two brands currently account for about 40 per cent of the total sales of the western wear category for the retail chain. Besides, Shoppers' Stop has also launched an American brand — Union Bay, which will be exclusively retailed through its network of stores across the country.

The recent spate of excise duties being introduced on knit garments as well as for woven garments, are expected to increase the cost of these garments. However, with the appropriate mix of price points, fashionability and sub categories, Shoppers' Stop is confident of capitalising on this category, according to the Marketing Manager.

More findings of the report reveal that the composition of the wardrobe of today's teenager is skewed heavily in favour of western wear, with the influence of cinema and music channels. In fact, the last few years have seen the women's preference of dressing distinctly shifting towards the western style of dressing.

There has been an increase in a large number of women professionals, who prefer simple, comfortable and elegant workwear, which will help them making a mark at work. Working women also continue to patronise the Indian salwar kameez but now with different and more stylish silhouettes. Fusionwear, essentially the blend of Indian fabric and western styling is the new trend (such as short kurtas, kurtas over pants). However, for special occasions such as weddings or festivals such as Diwali, the preference continues to be the traditional ethnic salwar kameez and the saree, according to the Shoppers' Stop's study.

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication

Stories in this Section
Rising adspend: A double-edged sword

Copyright © 2003, The Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu Business Line