Mumbai-based Cool Maal Merchandising Pvt Ltd, a celebrity and sports merchandise firm, is planning to build its brand by tying up with Indian Premier League (IPL) teams in the forthcoming tournaments.
The company, which has tied up with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for official merchandise for the first time, has a presence in 450 stores in the country, at present. "We are planning to expand our presence with around 200 new stores in south India during the current IPL season," said Malay Parekh, director, Coolmaal Merchandising Pvt Ltd.
The company, incorporated by actor Dino Morea and Malay Parekh, aims to become a one-stop shop for celebrities to conceptualise, design, develop and market their merchandise. "We will also look at tie ups with South Indian film industry for merchandise," said Parekh.
Out of the 450 stores being planned, 80-100 would be in south India, Parekh said, but refused to reveal the investment involved in expansion and the financial details of the company.
“We are a comparatively new company, started in the year 2009. So far, we had official products featuring cricketers Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh, along with some movie-specific merchandise. We are looking for a tie-up with more IPL teams by next IPL season,” said Parekh.
By tying up with Chennai Super Kings for merchandise including sports material, the company hopes to clock around 150 to 200 per cent growth in south India.
It currently offers sports products including porcelain printed mug, autographed cricket bat and polycarbonate sippers featuring Dhoni and autographed cricket bat and aluminium sippers featuring Singh.
At present, the company has 20 per cent of its sales from online merchandise and the rest of the sales through lifestyle outlets.
