Japanese sports shoes and apparel company ASICS plans to launch its mono-brand stores in India, while also exploring opportunities to make its apparel range in the country.

In the past, ASICS India had a distribution partnership with Reliance Retail and its products were being sold at Reliance Footprint stores, which ended in March. Earlier this year, the company decided to launch its own sales operations after getting approval from the government to enter single brand retail.

Motoi Oyama, President and Chief Executive Officer, Representative Director, ASICS Corporation, said encouraged by economic growth in emerging markets such as India the company is now focused on strengthening its presence in the country.

“The time is right for us to cultivate the Indian market on our own, as there is a huge potential to grow our operations in the country. Awareness about the brand is very low in the country right now. So, the first year, we will look at increasing brand awareness, strengthening the reach and distribution of our products and showcasing our range of products,” he said, adding the company will be increasing investments for marketing and brand promotion.

ASICS has in the past said it is looking at tripling sales in India in the next three years. The company, which distributes its products across over 150 countries, is known for its sports performance shoes, especially for runners. It plans to strengthen its running line-up and develop goods for popular sports in India such as cricket, tennis and badminton.

“We will focus on establishing mono-brand stores in the country and it will be one of our key channels to drive up sales,” he said. The company will set up these stores under partnerships with franchises. It is also ramping up distribution of products through regional distributors and e-commerce portals.

Making in India

Asked if the company will look at manufacturing its products here, Oyama said: “We have started research to look into the potential of making apparel products in India. As of now, for true sports performance footwear, the available ecosystem is not up to the level.

But given the growing skilled workforce in the country, we could look at sourcing materials from India for international markets as well as manufacturing footwear in India in the future.”

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