Dockers plans 250 stores by '09

Dockers, a khaki apparel brand owned by Levi Strauss (India) Pvt Ltd, is set to cash in on the booming retail sector.

Embarking on a major expansion spree, Dockers, which is presently sold through 70 stores countrywide, will add another five this year and has planned 250 by 2009.

While Dockers will own 75 exclusive outlets, the rest will be retail stores operated by multiple franchisees. Dockers, which has over 10 per cent of the market share in men's apparel, grew 50 per cent in terms of revenue last financial year.

"The retail business is a nascent industry in India and offers tremendous potential for growth. By bringing in international standards and our best practices in retail, we intend to grow around 50 per cent year-on-year. We hope to maintain the trend for the next few years by introducing new products," Dockers brand head Shyam Sukhramani told Business Standard.

At present, North India generates bulk of the business for Dockers. New Delhi alone has three stores selling Dockers. Consequently, the brand is concentrating on the North Indian region for its expansion over the next two years.

"However, we intend to have a fairly evenly spread presence across the country. Our stores will come up in all the major metropolitan cities," Sukhramani added.

The brand is looking forward to increasing its market share with its `Dockers for women? product set for launch in March 2007. "The launch of 'Dockers for women' will complete our product folio. We will introduce new products in India to synchronise with their global launch."

Dockers is yet to work out the total investment required for its expansion plans. "The investments will go towards brand building, deployment of human capital and store development. The franchisee will be responsible for investments on store development," he pointed out.