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Menswear brand Peter England has entered the soft luggage segment with its range of ‘work and travel bags'.
The Rs 500-crore brand from Madura Fashion & Lifestyle Ltd sells eight million garments every year and operates in the value segment of the apparel market.
For its soft luggage foray too, the company has positioned itself in a similar segment. “With prices ranging between Rs 1,000 and Rs 4,000, we will be the only branded mid-priced soft luggage player in the country,” said Mr Kedar Apshankar, COO, Peter England.
The Rs 1,800-crore industry is dominated by unorganised players and imported brands. Other branded players in the Indian luggage market are VIP, Samsonite and American Tourister.
Peter England plans to sell its soft luggage range through its existing retail outlets. Currently, the apparel brand is available at 525 exclusive outlets and 2,000 multi-brand outlets. Mr Apshankar said that the luggage brand would be launched in 100 outlets in the first phase.
Apart from apparel, Peter England also sells ties, belts and wallets.
Non-apparel categories currently account for 6 per cent of total business. This year, it is expected to jump to 12 per cent – with the luggage range alone contributing half of that, said Mr Apshankar.
The company is also considering extending the brand into other product categories such as home furnishing, body sprays, deos, ethnic wear and footwear.
“In three years, we expect 20 per cent of our total business to come from non-core categories.”
Thrust to denim
In the apparel business, Peter England plans to give a thrust to its denim business. “Peter England Jeans is the largest selling denim brand within the Madura Group. Last year, we sold three lakh pairs of jeans.”
Peter England also has a sub-premium formal range called Elite. Next season, it plans to launch the ‘Elite Casual' line.
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