According to R Satyajit, chief operating officer, Allen Solly, the kidswear market is among the fastest-growing segments of the apparel industry and the company aims to play a key role in the branded kidswear market.
Currently, the organised kidswear market is pegged at Rs 5,000-6,000 crore and growing at around 20-30 per cent.
"We have taken a new initiative to grow this market further. Presently, we are test marketing the kidswear in two of our outlets in Delhi and Bangalore. Based on the market response, we will extend it to other company-owned outlets, franchisee showrooms and multi brand outlets in a phased manner," he told Business Standard.
The kidswear range includes t-shirts and jeans among others. Allen Solly, which grew its sales by 34 per cent in 2007-08 to around Rs 300 crore, is aiming at a growth of 40 per cent during the current fiscal. The new growth will come from the retail expansion as well as launch of new categories. It is planning to introduce new categories like Urban and Vintage collections in addition to its existing range of garments divided into Classic and Sport.
The Urban collection will be mainly aimed at city-centric, office goers and youth, while Vintage collection is basically denim clothes.
The company, Satyajit said is also in the process of expanding its retail presence in the country by adding another 15-20 outlets for an investment of around Rs 30 crore.
Currently, Allen Solly has 52 company-owned outlets and its products are sold through 40 department stores, 300 multi-brand outlets. In Bangalore, the company has four outlets and plans to open another five during the year.
