Reebok to open 1100 stores

Reebok has decided to step up the heat on its rivals in the country, its acquisition by Adidas last year notwithstanding. "We are going to increase the number of our stores from 350 now to 1,100 by 2010," Paul Harrington, president and CEO, Reebok, today told Business Standard.

India is the only market in the world where Reebok has a higher share than Adidas and Nike. After last year's acquisition, it was not clear with which brand Adidas would lead the charge in the country.

The aggressive growth plans outlined by Harrington clearly suggest the Adidas group does not wish to upset the applecart. In the last one year, Reebok has expanded its market share in the country from around 40 per cent to over 50 per cent.

To promote its brand, Reebok will kick off a new campaign 'When Did I Know' with cricketers Rahul Dravid and Mahendra Singh Dhoni from October 1. "This is part of our global strategy to go after individual athletes," Harrington said.

Though it lost the kit sponsorship deal for the Indian cricket team to Nike, Reebok claims that it has, at any time, at least eight brand ambassadors in the playing eleven. The company also claims to have 25 per cent share of the bat market in the country.

Talking about new lines, Harrington said Reebok might introduce its Scarlett Johansson range of apparel in select stores worldwide in March next year. "We will have the range in some of our stores here as well," he added.

It is worth noting that Reebok has withdrawn its watches from the Indian market as the segment did not fit into its mainline business.

On price points, Harrington said Reebok did not have plans to go any lower as consumers were showing evidence of moving up the value chain. "All our top-end products are doing extremely well," he said. Although Reebok's footwear line starts at Rs 1,099, the bulk of its sales is in the Rs 2,000-4,000 range.