Duke eyes sports shoe market

T-shirt maker also plans to foray into the kidswear segment

Duke Fashions (India) Ltd, the number one T-shirt maker in the country, is now planning to foray into the sports shoe segment. The Rs 150 crore apparel major also plans to raise the number of its exclusive stores in the country to 50 by 2006.

Duke, which has trousers, shirts and jackets in its portfolio, apart from the flagship T-shirt segment, however, has no plans to manufacture shoes on its own.

"Rather we find it suitable to outsource shoes from other manufacturers and sale it under our brand name," said Kuntal Jain, director, Duke Fashions.

The company, which has witnessed an impressive growth over the last few years, may also go public in the next few years. "We will consider the option of going public if the present growth continues," said Jain.

The company, which has 25 exclusive stores at present, will open more such stores mostly in the B class cities. "Ours is a mass brand and we want to reach out to as many cities we can," Jain said, adding the company was planning to open exclusive showrooms in foreign destinations like Sri Lanka and the UAE.

While some of the exclusive stores in India will be company-owned, others will operate through the franchisee route.

Duke, which has been rated by ORG-MARG as the number one T-shirt manufacturer in the country, operates through its strong marketing network of 17 exclusive stores and 2,500 multi-brand outlets across the country.

While domestic sales account for 80 per cent of Duke's revenue, the remaining 20 per cent is contributed by the exports segment. The T-shirts segment alone contributes 60-65 per cent to the company's total revenue.

The company's major overseas buyers include GAP Inc., Target Stores, Wal Mart and Columbia Sports among others.

The company is also planning to foray into kidswear segment this year, keeping its focus on offering kidswear at low rates but high quality.

Dressed to kill

• The Rs 150-crore apparel major plans to raise the number of its exclusive stores in the country to 50 by 2006
• The company, which has 25 exclusive stores at present, will, open more such stores, mostly in the B class cities
• The company was also planning to open exclusive showrooms in foreign destinations like Sri Lanka and the UAE
• While some of the exclusive stores in India will be company-owned, others will operate through the franchisee route
• The company's major overseas buyers include GAP Inc., Target Stores, Wal Mart and Columbia Sports, among others