Bombay Dyeing to set up 150 stores

In an attempt to give a makeover to its brand, Bombay Dyeing, the Wadia group flagship, is planning to set up about 150 exclusive retail stores in the coming two years. The company is also planning to have presence in nine malls across the country.

The Rs 1,200 crore company's textile business focuses on home furnishings, bed and bath linen and is being run through 450 franchisees in 300 cities across the country.

Having made a turnaround in its domestic textiles business, Bombay Dyeing has decided to increase its emphasis on brand building rather than rely on promotions to boost its image.

The company managed to post profits last year after restructuring its operations, which included rationalising its manufacturing operations and shutting down its unit in Wadala.

The company continues its manufacturing operations at its Bleach Works factory in Worli, Mumbai, but is on the lookout for new facilities which will help it in saving of costs.

"We did a survey about three years back and found that the Bombay Dyeing brand had the top of the mind recall when it comes to home textiles,'' said Aloke Banerjee, head of domestic business, Bombay Dyeing. The company is also spending on promoting its baseline 'Bring Style Home' to enhance its image in the textile industry.

"We want to project Bombay Dyeing as an aspirational brand and our advertising is targeted at building the mother brand of Bombay Dyeing," Banerjee added.

As a part of its strategy, the company has launched 150 new designs and has launched six advertising campaigns in the past one year.

KSA Technopack estimates the bed and bath market at Rs 1,800 crore, growing at nearly 25 per cent per annum.

According to company officials, one of the reasons behind the losses was the restrictive quotas. With the dismantling of quotas post-2005, Bombay Dyeing is hoping to regain its losses in export turnover as well.

At present, exports account for almost 50 per cent of Bombay Dyeing's turnover.