Top Euro brands line up in Kolkata

Kolkata’s South City Mall, will host a clutch of premium European apparel brands. As Danish retail

giant Bestseller unveils Jack & Jones this month. Vero Moda, Only and Pieces are the other top-notch European apparel and accessories brands at the Prince Anwar Shah Road shop-eat-hangout address.

Jack & Jones offers fashionable jeans that are cut-edged and funky colored, targeted at the 20 to 35 age group. Vero Moda targets young women between 20 and 35, the liberal, highly sophisticated fashionistas. The brand ‘Only’ caters to teenage girls and young adolescents and ‘Pieces’ is an accessories brand. From Copenhagen to Cologne to Kolkata — the brands will have the same price tag as a policy. Bestseller sees Kolkata as an important market and is looking to consolidate its presence in the east and Northeast, with Kolkata as the hub. The Bestseller group has two more brands in its kitty, Selected, a high-end, clean-cut men’s wear line, and Exit, a kids’ range, which it plans to bring to the metro subsequently.

Kolkata’s retail image had taken a beating after a string of big-ticket pullouts including that of Marks & Spencer and other top brands like Guess and Next from Avani Heights on Chowringhee. But that has been offset to some extent by the entry of these international brands. South City Mall is in an advanced stage of negotiations with Timberland, a global leader in the design, engineering and marketing of premium-quality footwear, apparel and accessories and Esprit, both of which could open shop before Dussera.