Hasbro Clothing: dressing men in style

Offering a complete lifestyle experience for men is Hasbro Clothing. From its humble beginning in the quiet streets of Chennai, Hasbro today is one of the biggest manufacturers of mens apparel. In an interview, Hanif Sattar, Director, Hasbro Clothing shares the success story of the company.

Ramanjit Kaur (RK): Shed some light on the inception of Hasbro Clothing?

Hanif Sattar (HS): I started the company in Chennai in 1992 along with my brother Suhail Sattar. We started off as a retail store catering to the tailoring needs of men, that included shirts, jackets, suits, denims, trousers both in formals and casual, belts, ties, socks, undergarments and gym tees. We are one of the successful clothing and accessories manufacturers that run some of the successful brands such as Genesis (which was born in 1993), Basics 029 (started in 1995), Probase and Basics Life.

RK: When did the company start franchising? What inspired the company to take the franchise route to expand the brand in India?

HS: We started franchising in 2001. We took the franchise route because we believe that in business, or even in life, you need to have a partner who understands the idea and propels it to the next level. Our growth strategy has predominantly been driven by MBO sales. It is focused entirely on product category and an acute sense of what the customer is looking for and what he is likely to adapt in the future.

RK: What are the eligibility criteria for selecting your franchisees?

HS: We are looking at prospective franchisees with the ability to invest Rs 25-35 lakh in the project and own a good retail location. A franchisee is required to have an area of 800-1000 sq. ft to open the Hasbro outlet. Besides this, the franchisee must have retail experience and have an attitude that matches with the vision and mission of the company.

RK: What kind of support and training a franchisee will get when partnering with you?

HS: We render all the required support and training to our franchisees in order to ensure the successful operations of the franchise stores. Our training includes staff training, POS training, products and service standards training. The maintenance of the company’s standards is utmost important at the franchisees’ end. We also want our franchisees to follow the system laid by the company and adhere to all the standards including staff, maintenance, training and services.

RK: How many outlets does the company presently have? What are the company’s target locations?

HS: Presently, we are operating through 66 Exclusive Brand Outlets and we have presence in more than 400 MBOs across the nation. We have marked our presence in four states of southern India, Mumbai and Maharashtra. Now, we are looking at opening more franchised stores in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and West Bengal.

RK: What are the future plans of the company?

HS: We are looking at expanding our presence in the southern region of the nation in the coming future through franchise route.