The Hindu : Front Page : Textile manufacturers turn to domestic consumers

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Thursday, Nov 05, 2009
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Textile manufacturers turn to domestic consumers

M. Soundariya Preetha

‘State to emerge as hub of retail brands’
‘Ethical fashion brand’ soon

COIMBATORE: At least a handful of textile manufacturers in this region have started focusing on the local retail market in the last few months, launching branded products for the domestic consumers.

For instance, Pollachi-based Appachi Cotton has launched Ethicus (hand-woven fabric and apparels made of organic cotton); Coimbatore-based Premier Mills plans to roll out Premier Fine Linens (bed linen and related products) in the Southern States by the end of this fiscal; and Coimbatore-based Muthukumarasamy Textiles has launched S & M Kids Wear.

Southern India Mills’ Association Chairman J. Thulasidharan told The Hindu that Tamil Nadu was expected to emerge as a hub of retail brands in the next four or five years with more number of textile manufacturers, who were either focusing on exports or conversion work, launching value-added end products.

They wanted to go in for value added products and not do just the conversion work, such as cotton to yarn or yarn to fabric. The huge population in India, increase in spending and preference for better products were creating a demand for different types of textile goods. Mani Chinnaswamy of Appachi Cotton said the company decided to launch an “ethical fashion brand” in the domestic market as India was a growth story now and the heritage sector had consumers.

The company planned to tie up with partners for selling its products and it is looking at different formats, including boutiques and e-portals.

Shanthi Srinivasan of Premier Mills said the company was exporting bed linen for more than a decade now and started planning two years ago to venture into the domestic market.

With the Indian market growing and emphasis on bed linen and home textile products now, Premier decided to enter the domestic segment.

Those who enter retailing with brands should focus on consistency in quality, said Mr. Thulasidharan.

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