Apparel brand Van Heusen plans to expand its exclusive brand outlet (EBO) count by 50 this year, which will take the store numbers to 300, a senior official of the company said.
Vinay Bhopatkar, COO of Van Heusen told reporters, “We will expand Van Heusen exclusive outlets by 50 to 300 this year and also close this fiscal year with 20 per cent growth from Rs 1,500 crore last fiscal.”
According to him, the brand generates only two per cent of total revenues from ecommerce as they do not give any additional discounts to etailers other than the standard discounts.
“However, it does not make sense to avoid online channels, as it has created brand awareness in smaller towns,” he said.
He added that even the expansion of their outlets will be mainly in tier II and III towns.
Besides, in order to hike conversion rates of walk-ins at Van Heusen outlets, it has integrated online and offline aspects through its ‘My Fit’ concept.
Bhopatkar explained by saying, “Many times, customers walk out of a store without buying due to the outlet’s inability to customise apparel to their satisfaction.”
“To overcome this shortcoming, we have introduced My Fit, whereby a customer can customise the shirt or trouser as per his specification and preference,” he added.
“The order will be placed online and the product would be delivered to the customer. However a customisation charge of Rs 300 will be charged extra,” Bhopatkar said.
Van Heusen will also introduce the ‘My Fit’ concept to its women’s wear range also in the near future. (AR)
