Patanjali's next stop? Disrupting branded apparel market in India
Come 2018, if things go right, we are going to see a major shopping spree for the 'swadeshi' line of clothes, for men, women, and children, that Baba Ramdev plans to launch. Keeping up with the upbeat predictions that the yoga guru-turned-tycoon makes in every segment he forays into, the sales target for its first year is a whopping Rs. 5,000 crore. Here's more!
For the mass, for the class
According to Baba's spokesperson SK Tijarawala, under this segment, Patanjali is going to have varied products under every category. While it woos masses with value-for-money clothing, it will also have an apparel segment "that would have the snob value meant for the classes." The entire shindig will be started off with woven clothes, knit wear, and machine-made apparel including denim.
A name that people can connect with
Patanjali is currently working on creating a suitable brand name for the clothing line that goes with its 'swadeshi' agenda. Chances are, it may have more than one brand under its portfolio. Initially, the apparel line will retail in 250 exclusive outlets from April 2018. With time, it can be bought from Patanjali stores and also from other major retailing outlets.
This will be interesting
Patanjali already has Kishore Biyani-led Future Group's Big Bazaar for selling its apparel line. It's also mulling on getting those 15,000 retail outlets managed by state-run Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) on board. Meanwhile, it has partnered up with a few hundred handloom weavers from northern India as well. In a Mint interview, Ramdev had expressed interests of reviving the khadi industry.
