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Friday, 17 September 2010 |
 Woodland the well-known apparel and footwear brand is testing a few international markets for new business development and expansion. In fact, the brand is already present in many markets abroad. They have a distribution network
in countries such as Australia, Canada and Europe. At present their international markets contribute around 25 per cent to the total revenue and they are planning to increase it substantially. “The fast growing markets in Asia have become important for every international brand and we are working in the Hong Kong market as a gateway to the markets in China. Woodland is already doing well in the Singapore where it retails through supermarts,” says Amol Dhillon, Vice-President, Strategic Planning, Aero Group of Industries. Within India, Woodland has over 350 company owned and operated stores across 50 cities. It covers a total retail space of around six lakh sq. ft. and the average size of a Woodland store is around 1,500-2,000 sq. ft.
 Recently, the brand had launched a new line called Woodland Yoga, Dhillon avers, “It’s unique in terms of the style, utility and functionality of the product. We have started planning major events around Yoga and they would be rolled out in a few months.”
Meanwhile, the brand is adopting green technologies to show its reverence to nature and its commitment to a sustainable future. The brand is also readying to launch its winter campaign and collections by the end of this month. “The audience will see new TVC campaigns like: ‘Well Tested’, ‘Well Worn’ and ‘You are Never Alone’. These commercials are already running on the internet and would be seen across various TV channels by September end,” says Dhillon. Woodland spends around six to seven per cent of the total revenue on marketing and advertising the brand. And in the peak season, between September and December, the spend touches around 12 per cent.
What’s more for Woodland has also come up with new denim fits for men and women. Their latest autumn/winter collection consists of sweatshirts, sweaters and jackets available in all happening colors of the season. “Our pre-winter collection is a combination of front open hoodies and sweat shirts with kangaroo packets made out of brushed and sued fleece fabric for that warmth and soft hand feel,” explains Dhillon
With a network of 350 EBOs and presence in more than 3,000 MBOs globally, the brand is also starting e-retailing before the end of this calendar year. Dhillon feels it will open new avenues and channels for increasing the customer base and reaching out in the remote areas of the country. It’s also planning to push up its retail network within India by opening 60-70 large format stores with an average area of 4,000 sq. ft. by 2011. These stores will be opened in Mumbai, Jammu, Amritsar, Kanpur, Shillong, Jalandhar, Lucknow, Allahabad, Ghaziabad, Cuttack, Raipur and Navi Mumbai, among others. With an annual turnover of Rs 600 crores this year the company expects to cross the magic Rs 1,000 crores mark by 2012. |
