Penetrating deeper into Indian retail through licensing

Established in 1989 in East End of London, Carlton is renowned for manufacturing ladies fashion shoes. Since then the brand has evolved into a complete British lifestyle brand, adding accessories such as handbags, belts, wallets, sunglasses, perfumes, jewellery, etc. to its product line. One of the recognized brands globally, Carlton London has created its global presence in Asia, Europe and the US market. Boosting its expansion plans, the brand has forayed into consumer product space through brand licensing. In an interaction with License India, Kim Virk, Business Head of Carlton London spoke about penetrating deeper in Indian markets through licensing.

Talk to us about brand’s journey in India so far.

Carlton London is a global brand, in existence since 1992. We have been operational in India since 2003 and the journey has been quite exciting for the brand so far. This is an emerging market and it takes a while to adapt; however we have been scaling a steady growth in the market. We are operating in European as well as Asian markets. These two are very different markets, and I would say challenges are much deeper in India as compared to other countries due to large share of unorganized segment in the footwear market. However, in last couple of years the consumers’ behavior has drastically evolved with burgeoning of premium international brands. Consumers have now started putting extra focus on brand value.

What all retail points are you available at?

We have around 50 doors in India and the brand is growing at a steady speed of 30-40 per cent every year. We are opening new stores at premium malls across India as well as tying up with various leading departmental stores across the country. Apart from this, we have our exclusive online store.

What convinced a brand like Carlton London to become a licensor?

Carlton London sees a great opportunity as licensor to expand its credentials from UK's fashion footwear brand to a complete lifestyle brand covering all aspect of fashion. The potential is huge in brand licensing in the retail segment, as it helps to cover all categories of the brand so it becomes one shop destination for its customer to cover all fashion needs. It also helps diversify the brand potential in all areas and making it success.

What the immediate categories that Carlton London is looking to foray into through brand licensing?

We are looking to diversify in the fashion segment under Carlton London. We are looking to foray in women’s and men’s apparels, time-pieces, sunglasses, jewellery and accessories range.

What kind of revenue are you looking at through licensing operations?

The brand is looking to expand its each category in a very strong way, and will have its short and long terms goals.