Van Heusen to enter men’s inner wear, athletic leisure market
The Aditya Birla Fashion brand expects the premium segment of the market, which it typically targets, to grow even faster
Bengaluru: Van Heusen is set to enter the men’s inner wear and athletic leisure market in India.
Van Heusen’s inner wear will be available at the brand’s Bengaluru and Chennai stores and large format stores like Lifestyle and Shoppers Stop by the end of this week, and in Hyderabad by the end of the month.
Customers will also be able to purchase products from their collections online.
“We feel the time is right for us to enter the market. It is currently fragmented but there has been a rapid shift to inner wear over the last five years," said Ashish Dikshit, business head of Madura Fashion and Lifestyle at Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd.
Van Heusen stores and online retailers will offer customers four inner wear collections to choose from—classic, platinum, signature and active. Price points vary with the classic collection ranging from around ₹ 135-450, the platinum collection between ₹ 250-350 for briefs and up to ₹ 600 for boxers and the signature and active collections between ₹ 350-450 and ₹ 229-400, respectively.
Van Heusen’s athletic leisure collection will target customers who are looking for athletic outerwear, like track pants, lounge pants, shorts, vests and T-shirts that can be worn in a gym or a jogging track.
The men’s inner wear and athletic leisure market in India is worth ₹ 7,000 crore, with sales growing at 13-14% a year, according to Van Heusen’s internal estimates.
The Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd brand expects the premium segment of the market, which it typically targets, to grow even faster.
Harminder Sahni, a retail consultant and managing director of Wazir Advisors, said, “It is a well-established way of leveraging the brand. Indian brands (of premium quality inner wear) are still at a very early stage. And customers like this brand (Van Heusen), so it’s about how can we give them something more," he said.
When it comes to competition, while Jockey, Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein have been in the field for a while, there is room for other players too, according to Sahni.
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!