Hidesign to open six flagship stores in 2020, eyes larger sales online

Hidesign, the Pondicherry-based premium leather accessories maker, aims to expand the network in India and overseas markets this year.

The 42-year old brand, which currently operates 102 exclusive stores including 32 airport stores and in India and a distribution network in 25 countries, plans to open 20 new outlets including six large-format flagship stores. The first one will open at Lucknow very soon. The company is also planning to expand in Sri Lanka by adding another 3-4 stores.

“We are planning to open six flagship stores this year and each of those large-format stores will offer our entire range of products. Besides, we will offer customised products to our customers,” Dilip Kapur, founder of Hidesign told DH. At the flagship stores, customers can choose a leather of their choice out of about 15 different types of leathers and place an order. There will be Ostrich leather, New Zealand deer, lamb, and Indian calf among others. Every bag or wallet for both men and women will be specially crafted and manufactured with their name embossed on them. The products will be manufactured at our factory in Pondicherry within 30 days and shipped to customers anywhere in the world, he said.

To begin with, this year, the company plans to open flagship stores in Pondicherry, Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Hyderabad. Each of these stores will have over 1,000 sq feet space and showcase the entire range of products made by Hidesign. “We will personalise every single bag purchased at these flagship stores and shipped free of cost anywhere in the world to our customers,” Kapur said.

The company will be investing around Rs 2 crore in each of these stores. The company is also launching very soon designer shoes in association with a Bengaluru-based designer Sanchita at its stores. Among the Tier-2 cities, Hidesign plans to open stores in Calicut, Lucknow, Gurgaon, and Pondicherry.

Hidesign’s portfolio includes a wide range of leather goods and fashion accessories such as briefcases, handbags, computer bags, backpacks, laptop sleeves, clutches, wallets and evening bags among others. It also sells through e-commerce platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Jabong, Snapdeal, and its own website online. Hidesign is also one of the first Indian brands to be retailed at premium outlets like House of Fraser in the UK, Myers and David Jones in Australia, Stuttfords in South Africa, Parksons in Vietnam and Robinsons and Isetan in South East Asia.

The company also operates three manufacturing units in Pondicherry, one in Sikkim and a tannery near Chennai.

Kapur said the company expects to clock a revenue of Rs 210 crore for the year ending March 2020, a growth of 5% over the last year. “Due to lockdown following the spread of coronavirus worldwide, our business is washed out in the month of March. It is likely to be subdued over the next couple of months. Overall, we expect the growth in the next fiscal to be in the range of 5%. We can expect a revenue of Rs 220 crore during the next fiscal,” Kapur said. The share of e-commerce in its topline will be around 22% this year and is expected to grow further next year, he said.