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Thursday, 28 July 2011 |
 After a rewarding 2010 and a growth of 30 per cent, Woodland the outdoors brand wants to make inroads in China. It is looking to have a joint venture or a partnership with some Chinese footwear company. Though the nature of the partnership
has not been decided yet, it may be a joint venture or any other form of partnership. The brand is also planning to launch a Chinese brand in the Indian market. Right now the footwear major’s products are sold at Chinese multi-brand retail outlets through a distributor in Hong Kong. Besides, the brand’s latest offering is water proof shoes. Amol Dhillon, Vice President of Strategic Planning, Aero Group of Companies, avers, “The shoes are sure to bring an everlasting smile on the faces of adventure enthusiasts and nature lovers.”
 Meanwhile Woodland is ready with its autumn/winter collection. The highlight of this season is weather-proof jackets made of best quality materials to ensure warmth and softness. Its exquisite line of sweaters is knitted from a large variety of imported and specialized yarn in order to be able to provide a very soft hand feel and add that extra layer of warmth to each and every one of them. The color palette includes white, light pastels like pink, mint, yellow and lavender and many more. “For the ones who adore the soothing colors of nature, there are earthy tones like olive, mud grey, browns and shades of grey,” Dhillon adds.
Over the years, Woodland has become a master in combining style and function. No wonder the brand is still going effortlessly strong. It has an extensive product range catering to the demand of 18 to 28 year olds. Its shoes range include casual footwear, formal footwear, canvas footwear, apparels, accessories, Young Explorer, and shoe care products. The brand has also diversified into other product categories like Yoga Collection and the kids’ collection. Dhillon says their foray into other categories has been a turning point in the history of the brand and its perception. Constant innovation for the collection has taken place, be it jackets or warm sweat shirts, hoodies or T-shirts.
Meanwhile Woodland is expanding its manufacturing operations and retail presence by opening new exclusive outlets and increasing online sales. Dhillon informs, “We plan to open 60 more stores with focus on Tier II and III cities. Other than metros, we have been receiving favorable response from smaller towns and cities. We recently started our e-store and online sales have surged by over 20 per cent on a month-on-month basis in the last four months.” The company currently exports to markets such as the Middle East, Europe and Southeast Asian countries. The brand has a presence in 300 plus stores spread across metros, Tier II and III cities. It also has a presence in more than 3,000 plus MBOs. With an aim to grow 30 per cent this financial year the group is planning to touch a turnover of Rs 800 crores. |
