Apparel July 2019 Apparel July 2019 issue | Page 80

MARKET WATCH
Retail chain Shoppers Stop forayed into the
North East Indian market by opening its first
flagship store in Guwahati. This is the 84th
store of Shoppers Stop, which is expanding its
footprint across 40 Indian cities. Located at City
Center Mall in Guwahati, the store is spread
over approximately 44,000 square feet across
three floors, and will offer chic and desirable
fashion brands under one roof. The new
Shoppers Stop store will have a wide variety of
merchandise available across categories under
its exclusive brands, Stop, Life, Vettorio Fratini,
Fratini Woman, Haute Curry, and Kashish.
Shoppers Stop also hosted the ‘Sounds
of Guwahati’ event for budding singers of the
region. During the last one month, the retailer
auditioned and selected 10 singers to be a part
of the music event, which coincided with the
formal launch.
Pantaloons to adopt new brand
identity through a cricket
campaign
Pantaloons, from Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail, will launch a new
cricket campaign, ‘How Blue Are You?’ As a part of this campaign,
the brand will change its identity by changing the colour of its logo
to blue. Even the name of the Loyalty Program will be changed from
‘Greencard’ to ‘Bluecard’ for the campaign.
68
I APPAREL I
July 2019
Shoppers Stop forays
into Guwahati
Kidswear market rides
on fashion, comfort,
sustainability
“Children’s fashion is not a child’s play,” said a
recent kidswear advertisement featuring Amitabh
Bachchan. Brands and retailers are scratching
their heads over how to appeal to kids’ tastes
besides keeping parents happy. They are not
only consulting kids during their pre-production
process but also offering them a range of
customised clothes.
As per Global Industry Analysts (GIA), the US
market for children’s wear is projected to exceed
$76.4 billion by 2024. This would mean a CAGR
of 3.9 per cent from 2016 to 2024.The survey
notes that an average household spends about
$108 on kids’ clothes. Out of this, girls’ wear
represents the largest product segment.
The Mintel Group also notes the influence kids
are having on the children’s wear industry. The
firm, in its ‘Children’s Clothing US 2019’ report,
advises retailers and brands to consult kids while
developing and designing clothing assortments.
This would prove highly beneficial for brands
as it will help them cut down on waste besides
reducing their producing costs.
Retailers remain a favorite choice of parents,
who are increasingly opting for them as they offer
stylish and affordable clothing, as well as other
items on their shopping list. Retailers therefore
need to consider other ways to cater to the needs
of these parents.
While parents prefer offline stores, kids are
increasingly veering towards online stores such
as Amazon, Walmart, and Target. Amazon has
emerged as the top choice among tweens
and teens, as it offers everything from toys and
clothes to video games and phone cases. The
Mintel Group notes a growing interest among
dads about their child’s clothing. Around 45
per cent of dads feel that it is important for their
children to look stylish. And 26 per cent believe
price to be more important than quality.