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Adidas plans to make India production hub

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Mansi Kapur Mumbai
Last Updated : Feb 25 2013 | 11:10 PM IST
Global sportswear major Adidas is looking at India as a global manufacturing hub.
 
The company has planned to set up a production facility for apparels in the country, which would serve as a base for its global requirements.
 
Christophe Bezu, chief executive officer, marketing and sales division, Asia Pacific, Adidas, said, "As part of the company's global strategy, the procurement division is looking at setting up an apparel manufacturing facility in India. Although we have not yet finalised the details of the centre, a decision will be taken in the near future."
 
The company has short-listed several locations in the country for setting up the facility, he added. "India has a strong base for apparel manufacturing and along with that there is a cost advantage in manufacturing and exporting products from India," Andreas Gellener, managing director, Adidas India, said.
 
Adidas has a large manufacturing base in China which is currently the main procurement centre for the Asia Pacific region. Adidas is also revamping its marketing strategy for India. The company is planning to reinforce its distribution network by setting up more outlets across the country.
 
"Our initial strategy did not bring desired results as we felt that our distribution network, range management, asset management and company structure were not very strong. We have formulated a new marketing plan, which addresses all these issues," Bezu said.
 
The company is planning to set up more outlets to strengthen its distribution network.
 
"We are looking at segmenting our range of products systematically and will introduce new 'localised' models," he added. The company is also planning a recruitment drive to "reinforce our team in India".
 
Tendulkar included in global campaign
Adidas has included Sachin Tendulkar in its global campaign "Impossible is Nothing" and plans to feature him across cricketing nations and the Asia-Pacific region.
 
Adidas is the first global company to borrow an Indian name to sell its products outside the country. The campaign also features David Beckham, Muhammad Ali, Ian Thorpre among 10-12 other Adidas's global ambassadors.
 
Christophe Bezu, chief executive officer, Adidas, Asia Pacific, said, "Tendulkar has an incredible recognition value in countries where cricket is popular. Therefore we are looking at launching him in these markets as he is perhaps the most popular name in cricket. His inclusion stems from his caliber as a global athlete and his potential to become a global ambassador for Adidas."
 
The company has launched a new range of cricketing shoes, which will also be marketed through advertisements including Tendulkar.
 
"For marketing the Master Blaster range of cricket shoes in the cricketing regions, we will be providing creative inputs which feature Tendulkar," Andreas Gellner, managing director, Adidas India said.
 
Although the current campaign will feature Tendulkar only in the cricketing countries and the Asia Pacific region, the company is looking at including him in its other global campaigns.
 
"We have plans of including Tendulkar in our campaign for the Beijing Olympics, which includes players of international repute and recognition."

 
 

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