Bewitching business journey

Bw!tch is India’s first designer lingerie label from the habitat of Genesis Colors, which owns a blend of premium fashion labels and high-end foreign luxury brands. In an interview, Bw!tch, Managing Director, Jyoti Narula, tells how the brand manages to cast a spell on consumers.

Amanpreet Kaur (AK): What led to the formation of Bw!tch? What was the inspiration behind getting into innerwear?

Jyoti Narula (JN): Genesis Colors Pvt. Ltd, one of India’s first fashion conglomerates launched the premium lingerie label, Bw!tch, in July 2008. The Indian lingerie market is growing at a rapid pace and there was a need for a brand that understood the Indian women’s lingerie requirements and provided solutions that suit the customer’s needs in terms of fashion, price, fits, etc. There was a huge gap in quality fashion product at affordable prices and Bw!tch is a successful effort to bridge that gap.

AK: What is your brand's USP?

JN: After an extensive research and study of the innerwear market, Bw!tch brought forth an ideal mix of all the key elements: fashion, form, function and fit. A style for every mood, thought and occasion that not only compliments the outfit but also accentuates her form. The Bw!tch range has highly effective minimisers for the abundant, padded push-ups, athletic bras for sports and bridal lingerie that includes bridal sets in power net, chiffon, satin and other silky fabrics.

AK: What was the reason behind entering into the business of franchising?

JN: Franchising has kicked off in India and has become the preferred mode of expansion for international and domestic companies. Also, in lingerie franchising, the brand can provide a complete experience to the customer, thus, creating a strong brand image as well as profitable sales. In India, the lingerie business in itself is at a very nascent stage, it is very important to be focused and provide the right mix of training, location, product and shopping experience to create a profitable set-up. With strong guidelines and systems in place, it is not difficult to replicate the business guidelines and proper training facilitates knowledge transfer. For taking up Bw!tch franchise, the franchisee needs a capital investment of Rs 10 lakh to Rs 30 lakh within a minimum space of 250 to 500 sq.ft.

AK: How do you train franchisees?

JN: Bw!tch believes in providing proper product and customer training to the staff and guiding the franchisees about the operational strategies, business development plans and all marketing support to establish the brand in the market. It is very important to impart proper staff and product training to replicate the model and Bw!tch is very particular about the same.

AK: With the entry of many global brands in the Indian market, what kind of competition do you foresee in the Indian market for your brand?

JN: The lingerie industry in India is expanding at a very rapid pace. The entry of international brands has actually opened up customers’ exposure quite a bit. The industry has started taking lingerie as a serious business rather than a staple necessity. Currently, we see only healthy competition in the lingerie industry that is helping each and every brand to grow and evolve and in the end only the fit and fast will survive. In lingerie, it is very important to educate and increase awareness for the customers. Bw!tch very actively involves itself in quiet a few ‘Above the line’ (ATL) as well as ‘Below the line’ (BTL) activities.

AK: How many stores are you scheduling to launch by the end of this fiscal?

JN: We are targeting to launch at least five new EBOs within this fiscal year. Bw!tch is targeting the entire population of India and is diversifying in smaller cities like Raipur, Bilaspur, Kanpur, apart from the metros and tier A cities. Bw!tch has also extended its product range offering to satisfy the demand of various markets.

AK: Where do you see your company five years down the line?

JN: Bw!tch is a pioneer in the lingerie industry and we only see the brand growing and offering more and more categories and satisfying customers.