Fashion franchise destination

Aiming to become a leading brand name in contemporary women's wear segment in India, ‘Kazari’ is also eyeing the overseas market. In an interview, Nag Mani Roy, Designer and Director, Kazari Apparels Pvt. Ltd shares the brand’s further growth plans.

Namita Bhagat (NB): Tell us about the origin of ‘Kazari Apparels Pvt. Ltd?

Nag Mani Roy (NMR): Kazari is a Japanese word that means ‘elegant style’ involving choice and placement of objects. In Indian context, Kazari is all about the soulful music and the beautiful songs. Thus, our brand is tribute to all the ladies, a one stop destination for all their fashion needs. Kazari Apparels Pvt. Ltd was established in 2010 as a manufacturer and retailer of stylish and contemporary women's wear. In a short span of time, we have gained much expertise and our employees are regularly updated with latest demand and trends. The Brand began its journey from Ujjain at Treasure Bazaar Mall in Madhya Pradesh, India with its first store. The brand’s motto is "All about a woman" and it aims to bring latest fashion to the consumers in tier II and III cities in India. We are pursuing our target to reach the masses.

NB:  What is the USP of the brand ‘Kazari’?

NMR: Kazari, like its name is a collection to enhance the beauty of all the ladies. It’s a place where you can loose yourself in kaleidoscope of colors that fascinate you and help bring out the beautiful you. There is something special available for everyone here and if not, we make sure to customise it for you. The key elements of the brand Kazari are that it is young, stylised, fashionable, contemporary, bold and confident and yet with traditional appeal. Our apparels are of high quality, comfortable and skin-friendly, easily washable. The brand is bridging the major gap of fashion viability between Metros/tier I cities and smaller cities especially in Indo- western women's wear segment.

NB: What are the retail formats followed by company in India?  When did the company adopt franchising?

NMR: Currently, the company works in a single retail format that is through its own exclusive brand outlets .We are planning to launch of the  brand in other retail formats till the year end. We started franchising in the end of 2011.

NB: Could you share the company’s current retail presence via own and franchisee-operated stores in India?

NMR: Presently, Kazari has four company owned stores and two franchise stores. We have stores at Ujjain, Varanasi, Patna, Dhanbad and Ranchi. We are getting a good customer response from these store locations and we are planning to have more stores across India.

NB:  Kindly share the brand’s further expansion plans (both own and franchise) in India and overseas? What are the target locations for expansion?

NMR: In the first phase of expansion, we are initially focusing on northern states for extending the reach of our brand in the country. We are targeting four key cities in each state for the first phase of expansion. For e.g. in UP, cities like Lucknow, Varanasi, Allahabad, Kanpur are on priority list for launching our brand stores. In second phase of expansion we plan to open stores in cities in south India. Furthermore, we are also simultaneously working for the brand’s expansion in the overseas market. For international expansion, we are looking at Gulf market, especially Dubai, and countries like Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and the UK.

NB: What is the area and capital needed to partner as a franchisee in India?

NMR: For a franchisee store, the area required is between 350 sq. ft. and 600 sq. ft. The investment required will be approximately Rs 12 to 30 lakh. Besides, the franchise facts can vary depending upon the city and location where the store is being opened.

NB: Could you give us an insight into the current retail scenario in your business segment in the country?  What are the challenges for the brand in India?

NMR: At present, the retail market our business segment is growing at a faster rate with several big players entering in the women's wear segment. Where as the metro cities have many brands in this segment but in small cities there is not a single big brand which can fill this gap. A large number of players are planning to enter small cities as they find better prospects in these cities. On the contrary, our brand has started its journey a small city. Therefore, we will first cater these smaller cities and we plan to enter the metros and tier- I cities in the last phase of expansion with our signature brand. In India women's are still very conservative in wearing 100 percent western wear notably in small cities. Therefore, we have chosen Indo-western or contemporary style for our brand. We expect our brand will make our clientele more fashion conscious.