Aero Group plans to have a presence in 100 retail outlets in Hong Kong and China alone by FY14. It already has a marketing office in Hong Kong. Once the brand gets a strong foothold in these markets, it plans to open own stores to increase presence, Singh added.
Ruling out any plans to rope in a strategic partner to feed the foreign expansion needs, Singh said, "We have figured out that it is better to go on our own strength rather than divesting a partial stake. Every country has its own operating models and the existing retail chains in these countries are a good carrier for a brand like ours. We are already there, but we are looking at minimum 100 retail chains in the next fiscal."
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Currently, 20 per cent of the company's total revenue comes from the exports. The youth-oriented brand is also eyeing geographies such as Australia, Europe and southeast Asia. The company had initiated talks with three companies in south-east Asia and Australia specialising in functional footwear, apparel, and accessories. However, it did not match well with the company's plan, he explained.
"Retail presence would be a key factor on both fronts - domestic and international," said Singh, adding the company is expecting a turnover of Rs 1,000 crore in FY14. For the current financial year, its has set a top line target of Rs 850 crore.
The company is also in the process of investing around Rs 70 crore for adding two shoe-manufacturing units in Himachal Pradesh and Uttaranchal.