Levi Strauss & Co. today announced that it will phase out the Denizen brand from Asia, including India, over the next 12 months in order to focus on growing its core Levi’s brand. The company said that it is a strategic decision to focus on driving profitable growth.
Currently in India, Denizen operates through a network of 272 stores in cooperation with franchisee partners. Levi Strauss & Co. will work closely with its trade partners to ensure a smooth transition during this time.
Levi Strauss had launched this brand exclusively for the Asian market during late 2010 by debuting it in Shanghai, China.
“Across our company, we are focused on providing our consumers with great products, driving growth and innovation,” said Sanjay Purohit, general manager of India for Levi Strauss & Co. “We made the strategic decision to phase out the Denizen brand in order to focus on growing the core Levi’s brand. We value the relationship with our employees and business partners and recognize their contributions towards Denizen.” It is understood that there will be some job losses in the Indian operations as a result of this move.
This move is part of an overall restructuring which Levi Strauss is carrying out across Asia. Early this year, some of the design studios were realigned and the one in India was upgraded.
Purohit continued, “We are committed to the India market and we’ll continue to build on our consumers’ connection to the Levi’s brand."
Levi Strauss & Co. has sold Levi’s clothing in India for more than 18 years. Its products are available through exclusive Levi’s brand stores and multi-brand stores in 200 cities across the country.