French luggage creator in Bangalore
French luggage creator in Bangalore

 

Just a day before the store launch in Bangalore, Frederic Cachera, Global CEO, Delsey shared his future plans with Ankur Gaurav, in the country which seems to be full of  growth potential.

Ankur Gaurav: What is the potential that you foresee in India?

Frederic Cachera: We are very positive about the potential of growth for delsey in India, and the new store in Bangalore is a significant addition to the five boutiques already established. Our goal is to ensure that delsey is a brand with an extensive reach across the whole country and we are looking forward to opening stores in Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Jaipur and Kolkata in the coming months

AG: Who are your target group in India?

FC: Because of our association with VIP, people in India already know about the brand. The TG is well travelled is closely associated with the brand. All that we have to do is to let them inform about our presence in their cities.

AG: After 100 per cent FDI in retail notified, are you looking forward to increase your share in this JV?

FC: India is a very complex country with so many languages and culture. It is difficult to understand the consumer behaviour of people in this country for someone who is an outsider. This is why JV is more than required for us and we are very happy with the present tie up where we have the 51 per cent share and are not planning to alter it in the near future.

AG: Apart from JV which are the other formats in which you are planning to open the stores?

FC: Franchise is another format which we are focusing on. JV and corporate owned stores are also in the pipeline. Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai are the places where we are planning to open company owned stores.

AG: How is the customer preference different from that in the western market?

FC: I would say they are not different. The customer preference and behaviour is converging to come on the same level. Thanks to the social media platforms which have exposed the Indian consumers to the western brands and vice versa. For the same, we have also organised consumer focus sessions where we try to understand the likings, preferences of the customers. Based on that, we are developing our product.

AG: What is that comes from such sessions?

FC: One prominent result was that, the female preference for a travel bag is entirely different from that of a male. Men need a lot of pockets from the essentials while females like to stack it up all in one compartment. Such feedback helps us design travel bags accordingly.

AG: What is the USP of your products and are you planning to add something to your product portfolio?

FC: Our travel bags and suitcases are not just luggage bags but they are a part of your fashion statement. Just like apparels and shoes and watches, these bags add to the personality of the customers. The different colours goes well with the fashion sense of our consumers especially women.

We are going to add Wallet’s to our portfolio from January and this would be manufactured in Chennai and will be distributed across the globe from there. 

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