M&B footwear join hands with US based Wolverine World Wide Inc to introduce Merrell shoes in India. Merrell has its presence in 127 countries and is a flagship brand of the Wolverine World Wide. “We have taken the distributorship of Merrell shoes for entire India”, informs an official of M&B Footwear. “Its international appeal, strong pitch, advanced technology, innovation and crisp positioning will certainly propel Merrell to get hugely popular," said Mr. Inder Dev Singh Musafir, Director, M&B Footwear. The introductory product range includes 21 styles in combination with Men’s shoes. These shoes priced between Rs.2, 985 and Rs.3,985. Whereas, Merrell’s women’s and kids range will be offered within early next year. Presently Merrell Shoes are retailed only in the 14 Walk-In M&B stores in Delhi, NCR, Mumbai and Bangalore. M&B footwear also have plans to start three exclusive Merrell outlets in Delhi and Mumbai. “From the company sources it is revealed that all these outlets would be exclusive brand outlets (EBO and advertisements have released for franchisee application. The investment required for each franchised outlet would be between Rs.35 lakh to Rs.65 lakh. The estimated area required for each franchised outlet is within 1000 to 2000 sq. ft. The potential franchisee should be financially sound, so that they can invest that amount for each franchise outlet. “We are planning to expand in the tier II and tier III cities for opening up Merrell’s exclusive outlets”, reveals the official.
