Sportswear brand Indian Terrain plans to open 50 exclusive stores by 2009 and achieve a turnover of Rs 100 crore in the next three years. Kunal Majumder discusses the brand’s expansion plans.

Aiming for new retail heights, sportswear brand Indian Terrain has set itself an achievable target of 50 exclusive stores by 2009. As part of its plan to double its turnover to Rs 100 crore in the next three years, the brand will come up with a complete set of apparel and accessories over the next 12-18 months.

“We will continue our focus on growing the business across the country, across all channels and format. The brand awareness and perception has increased with the introduction of Kunal Kapoor as brand ambassador. It has helped consumers to better recall the brand in the competitive multibranded environment. The sales have increased significantly,” Charath Narsimham, COO, Indian Terrain told IMAGES BoF.

Launched in September 2000 by export major, Celebrity Fashions, the brand was conceptualised as a premium sportswear label which included a collection of shirts, trousers, knits, sweaters and outwears. For over a decade, the Rs 400 crore Celebrity Fashions has been a vendor to some of the world’s leading and finest brands including Gap, Banana Republc, Marlbaro Classics and Timberland.

Exports to domestic terrains

It started in 1999 when the chairman, V Rajgopal, who had been in the apparel export business for over a decade supplying to leading fashion brands across the globe, felt that the Indian male did not have enough options of high quality, smart sportswear and depended too much on overseas purchases for his requirements. That’s when he decided to do something and Indian Terrain was born.

Explaining the reason for the extension from the international front to the domestic market, Narsimham says, “The export business is seeing great traction and we want to capitalise on it with the increased capacities that we are putting in place.”

Indian Terrain targets male consumers in the age group of 25-40 years from the mid-high income bracket. Apart from its nine EBOs across major metros, the brand is retailed through major department stores and MBOs including Shoppers’ Stop, Lifestyle, Piramyd, Central, Kapsons and Jade Blue.

“The Indian Terrain male has traversed the world, marking his mark across the seven seas. It is truly the first brand that captured the concept of what is now a commonly used ‘global Indian’. We adopted it as our brand’s tagline. That’s who it is meant for. The USP of Indian Terrain lies in its chic and stylish sportswear. It is the imagery and attitude that differentiates the brand from its competitors,” claims Narsimham.

Marketing the brand

“As a growing brand, we spend a reasonable amount of our turnover towards brand building and marketing which currently stands at about 8-10 per cent of the turnover,” informs Narsimham.

Indian Terrain plans to fight competition by innovating on its product line along with exciting communication and advertising to give itself a complete international sportswear look. Narsimham claims that a long-term strategy is on to address the emerging product and lifestyle need of the young adults. It had signed on actor Kunal Kapoor of Rang De Basanti fame for the last two sessions as the face of its advertising.

Design and manufacturing

The company manufactures 60 per cent of its requirement at its integrated facility in Chennai. The rest is outsourced. The design team of seven members is headed by Supratim Choudhary, who works across various products as well as on visual merchandising. Indian Terrain uses natural fibres like cotton and linen in its products.

“We are a strong design and product driven company with a set of young and talented designers who are shaping the future of the brand. Almost all colours and hues form a part of the product range in each category,” explains Narsimham.

The company claims to get equal sales contribution from the north, west and south zones. It is also planning to roll out a customer loyalty programme in the coming year’s festive season.
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Published in IMAGES Business of Fashion

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