Brands
Wacoal steps up investment game in India
MUMBAI: Wacoal, the Japanese premium lingerie brand, announced its plans to boost investment in India. As a part of its global growth strategy, the brand will be investing around Rs 100 crore over the next 3 years. To increase the volume of business, the company plans to grow its store strength from 12 stores to 70 exclusive stores and 80 shop-in-shop stores, adding up to 150 stores pan India.
In addition to setting up more stores in the existing markets i.e. Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Chennai, Bangalore, and Kolkata, Wacoal plans on aggressively focusing on 10 top cities taking advantage of existing operation network in all 4 regions; West (Mumbai), North (Delhi), South (Chennai), and East (Kolkata). As next big steps, the brand will be foraying into tier 1 and tier 2 regions across 30 cities including Nashik, Rajkot, Prayagraj, Nagpur, and Indore.
Wacoal also intends to advance its sales in India through the existing partnership with e-commerce platforms, Myntra, Jabong, Tata Cliq and its own website. This will be accompanied by an intensive cross-platform marketing and PR campaign.
Speaking on the announcement Wacoal Corp.representative director, president and corporate officer Tomoyasu Ito said, “We have seen an exponential growth seen in the Indian market since Wacoal's entry in 2015. With this expansion, we aim to explore its full potential, and further solidify our position as a leading entity in the country's luxury lingerie market. Our presence in additional metros will introduce a wider audience to the fit and comfort of our innerwear, crucial elements in the life of the modern woman. Our stellar success since launch has rapidly established Wacoal as an indispensable part of India's innerwear scene, showcasing India as a mature market with a desire for Wacoal's innovative, timeless collections.”
Headquartered in Mumbai, Wacoal entered the Indian market in 2015 through a joint venture with Periwinkle Fashions Private Limited the flagship company of the Tainwala Group. Wacoal India Pvt Ltd is a joint-venture between Periwinkle and Wacoal International Hong Kong Co Ltd.
Brands
Faber-Castell India appoints Sunaina Haldar as director – marketing
With stints at Tata, SleepyCat and ADF Foods under her belt, Haldar is primed to redraw Faber-Castell’s brand story
MUMBAI: Faber-Castell India has poached Sunaina Haldar from ADF Foods, appointing her director – marketing as the German stationery brand looks to muscle up in a category that is rapidly reinventing itself around creativity and self-expression.
Haldar hit the ground running. “My first couple of weeks have been incredibly energising, understanding consumers, visiting markets, engaging with retailers and immersing myself into the world of Faber-Castell Group,” she said.
She arrives with considerable firepower. At ADF Foods, Haldar ran marketing across India and international markets for a portfolio spanning Ashoka, Aeroplane, Camel and ADF Soul. Before that, she was vice-president – marketing at direct-to-consumer mattress brand SleepyCat, where she helmed brand, content and performance marketing. Her résumé also includes a stint leading marketing, new product development and CRM for Tata SmartFoodz at Tata Consumer Products, no small proving ground.
Between corporate roles, Haldar also operated as a fractional CMO for early-stage startups, building marketing strategy and operational structures from scratch, a signal that she knows how to move fast with limited resources.
With 18 years straddling FMCG, D2C and the startup world, Haldar now takes the reins at a brand that has long owned the classroom but is clearly hungry for the living room. In a stationery market where the pencil has become a lifestyle statement, Faber-Castell has picked someone who knows exactly how to sell that story.
