Apparel Online India Magazine May 1-15, 2019 | Page 44

DOMESTIC UPDATE
globe which manufacture products
for every country Puma has presence
in. Even as the brand does not own a
manufacturing facility (Puma being
in a hardcore brand business and
not in manufacturing), it controls
how and what is produced in these
manufacturing units. Everything,
right from conceptualising the
collection, developing designs,
quantity and ensuring that
everything is manufactured as per
the brand’s needs, is controlled by
Puma. “We do not own the factories;
however, we work very closely
as partners. We give them all the
inputs and have our teams always
present in order to ensure that the
products are made exactly how they
were conceptualised to be made.
We believe that a global brand like
ours cannot run two parallel design
centres as the design language
essentially needs to be the same
worldwide. Our team in India works
in synergy with the international
team. Also, we have a design team
based in Germany which works
exclusively for the Indian market,”
he points out.
Victoria’s Secret fame Adriana Lima for Puma Sports
connect with the consumers around
the world.
What goes in the back-end?
Even as the country is head
over heels for the very stylish,
technologically advanced
merchandise by Puma, what really
goes into making them what they
are? First and foremost, Puma truly
believes that India has evolved as
a fashion consuming market and
the consumers wants to be exposed
to what is trending globally. Atul
affirms, “We are at heart a global
brand. Gone are the days when one
would need a completely different
range of collection for a country like
India. Today, people want to be up-to-
date and they want to be wearing the
latest stuff which people are wearing
globally.”
The leading sportswear brand has a
global sourcing strategy wherein it
has centralised factories across the
ESSENTIALS
For Puma,
approximately 38%
of its business comes
from apparel, 10%
is accessories and
52% is footwear.
Puma works on
a four-season
calendar because
it is important for
the brand that
the consumer
keeps getting new
collection every
quarter. Besides,
it also introduces
fresh infusions every
month to keep things
new and exciting
for our discerning
consumers.
The brand does have a ‘decent
number of manufacturing units’ in
India as well which produce both
footwear and apparel, but this is
decided on the basis of feasibility.
The Indian team brief the design
team in Germany on the Indian
market, who in turn, amalgamate
the global design language into
the Indian needs and come up
with an Indian suited collection.
The ultimate focus remains that
there cannot be a compromise on
quality and aesthetics of the brand.
“Apart from few things which have
probably more to do with weather or
which are country-specific ranges
like flip flops and sandals are for
India, the other ranges are very
global. Typically, we never felt the
need to change the global products,
what does however happen is we
do change things in terms of fits
because the Indian body size is
different from the international body
size. Even when we produce in India,
it has to be 100% the same as done
globally and we do not and cannot
compromise on quality. If something
cannot be made in India, it will not
44 Apparel Online India | MAY 1-15, 2019 | www.apparelresources.com
be made in India. It is about where
the product is best suited,” Atul
asserts.
While Puma does understand that
sourcing from India would save on
transportation costs, lessen the
lead time, etc., quality and brand
aesthetics are the base of any
manufacturing decision. Also, the
products manufactured in India are
supplied to the brand globally as
it’s imported from other countries
to India. Talking about the average
lead time at Puma, Atul reminisces,
“It really depends. For planned
collections, we follow a different
timeline which will probably be six
months. However, there are also fresh
infusions that get turned around in 90
days and for certain collections, we
also turn around in as less as 45 days
and if there is a trend in the market
that we need to attend to, we do it in
a much shorter time.”
An eye for a great retail
presence
For Puma, India is clearly a
market of focus and the brand
has never restrained from making
big investments in the country, in
terms of opening more retail stores
and innovating its online shopping
website. Puma has 365 exclusive
brand outlets across the country.
Besides, the brand also retails
through large format stores like
Lifetstyle, Shoppers Stop, Central,
etc. “We are in a leadership position
and we will continue to stay relevant
in this market. Also, we have been
very careful about opening our
stores; the expansion at Puma has
not been without thought. Before
opening an outlet, we look at long-
term viability of that store and that’s
the reason we never had to close any
store till date. The foremost thing
is the catchment area because you
definitely need a consumer base who
would visit the store, a good location
with enough parking space; easy
access is definitely a prerequisite
for us. Most importantly, the store
needs to comply with the Government
norms. We also do a market study
of how suitable is the product line
for doors in a particular market and