Woodland to expand in foreign markets

Woodland, an apparel and footwear brand plans to open its exclusive outlets in a few selected foreign markets. The company is in the advanced stages of negotiations with few foreign markets like Middle East, South-East Asia and Sri Lanka for selecting local franchise partners, confirmed Harkirat Singh, MD, Woodland. The company will be going through the franchise route to mark its presence in these foreign lands.

The company is planning to open three to four exclusive outlets overseas by the end of this fiscal year. "We are on the verge of concluding negotiations and opening our first exclusive outlet in overseas markets. By end of 2010, we will have at least a total of three to four outlets overseas," says Singh. He further added that every country follows its own rules regarding investment in the retail business. In such circumstances, franchising is an excellent option.

Presently, the company supports over 600 multi-branded outlets in the Middle East, Singapore and Thailand. It has around 350 exclusive outlets in India along with its presence in over 3,000 multi-branded outlets.