Product Portfolio Strategic Marketing

Pre-mid Term- Term 6 (Apparel Industry)

Madura Garments

Submitted to: Dr. Bindhu K Nambiar

Submitted on: 26-01-2018

Submitted By:

Muhammed Muinudheen FK-3036

Gopika Krishnan FK-2986

Avinash S Nair FK-2908

Sinda Anu Thomas FK-2974

Josmi Joseph FK-2998

Abeesh K FK-2954

Vishnu Mohan FK-2927

Arathy Krishna FK-2899

1
Table of Contents

Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 3

Overview ......................................................................................................................................... 5

Product portfolio ............................................................................................................................. 7

Product life cycle ............................................................................................................................ 8

Product life cycle of Madura Garments ...................................................................................... 9

Competitive Pricing Strategies for Retailers................................................................................. 10

Pricing strategies in Madura Garment products ........................................................................ 12

Madura Fashion & Lifestyle Competitors .................................................................................... 13

SWOT Analysis ............................................................................................................................ 15

PESTEL Analysis ...................................................................................................................... 17

Marketing Strategies of Madura Garments ................................................................................... 20

Marketing Mix .............................................................................................................................. 20

Product ...................................................................................................................................... 20

Place .......................................................................................................................................... 21

Promotion .................................................................................................................................. 22

Price........................................................................................................................................... 23

Strategies of Madura Garments .................................................................................................... 23

Customer segment ......................................................................................................................... 24

Branding ........................................................................................................................................ 25

Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 28

References ..................................................................................................................................... 29

2
 Madura Garments
Introduction

Madura garments which is established in the year 1988 as Madura coat limited and has its origin
in the former Coats Viyella Plc. It was Europe’s largest clothing supplier at that time. In the year
1999 Aditya Birla group acquired Madura Fashion and Lifestyle to become India’s largest
readymade menswear industry. In the year 2000, they become wholly owned subsidiary of Aditya
Birla Group.

Madura Garments and Lifestyle as a subsidiary of the Aditya Birla group had become one of
India’s fastest growing branded apparel companies and a premium lifestyle player in the Indian
retail sector. After acquiring the market share in India, they introduced premium international
labels, enabling Indian consumers to buy the most prestigious global fashion wear and accessories
within the country.

The company’s brand portfolio includes product lines that range from affordable to mass-market
to luxurious, high-end style and cater to every age group, from children to youth both men and
women. Madura garments defined by its brands like Louis Philippe, Van Heusen, Allen Solly,
Peter England and People that personify style, attitude. Luxury, and Comfort. Madura garments
markets and sells its products through exclusive and franchise stores, shop-on-shops, multi brand
trade outlets. Hypermarkets, and department stores In India, the United Arab Emirates, Oman,
Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Yemen, Sri Lanka, Nepal, the Maldives, and Uganda. The company
is also having an online presence in all the above-mentioned countries. Always at the cutting edge
of fashion and innovation, Madura Fashion & Lifestyle has for over a decade now sourced
technology, fabrics and garments globally. Madura Fashion & Lifestyle is a global supplier for
premium international brands such as Esprit, S’Oliver, MONOPRIX.

It has a total of 1980 stores (September 2015), covering 2.5 million Square feet of retail space, and
is present in more than 3,800 premium multi-brand stores and 490+ departmental stores. The
company as a whole offer a unique blend of global fashions, international trends and innovative
customer services, to customers in Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Delhi NCR, Chandigarh, Pune and
Chennai.

3
Planet Fashion is multi-brand apparel- retailing arm of Madura Fashion and Lifestyle. They had
started Planet Fashion in the Year 2001, which houses the company’s in-house and other brands
and is the largest chain of stores if it kind in India. Planet Fashion aims to bring Fashionable
clothing, choice, and convenience for everyone at one platform to give wardrobe solution for all
their needs. The multi-brand outlet also has a tie up with Levi’s for Denim. Monto Carlo for winter
wear and Van Heusen for Inner wear.

Madura Fashion & Lifestyle marked its foray into the luxury mono brand business in India by
launching the quintessential British men's luxury clothing and accessories brand Hackett London
through a joint venture with the UK firm.

Recently, the company launched Trendin.com, a one-stop shopping destination for the style
conscious. As the official online store showcasing the widest range of merchandise from Louis
Philippe, Van Heusen, Allen Solly, Peter England and People, Trendin.com caters to both men and
women. With the best talent in the fields of design, manufacturing and product
development, Trendin.com brings contemporary, chic, fashion forward sensibility at price points
that work with every budget.

Over the years, Madura Fashion & Lifestyle has not just pioneered new concepts in fashion and
clothing, but also been awarded for them. They include – voted as one of the Best Corporate Brands
2016 by The Economic Times, Voted the most trusted premium formal wear brand by economic
times in the year 2015, Won the Franchisor of the Year (Apparel) award at Franchise Awards’15
for Excellence in Franchising and Business Development, Won the Golden Star – Six Sigma award
for ‘service quality excellence in the year 2015 etc…

Madura Fashion & Lifestyle, an IT and web-enabled organization, is the first-ever apparel
company to have successfully implemented the ERP SAP system. It is also the first company
globally to integrate Retek ERP with SAP ERP.

Each of the company’s brands has an integrated Design Department, which is constantly at work
on innovating designs, concepts and products by incorporating the latest international trends in
fashion and clothing styles. Professional from the country who are empowered and motivated had

4
propelled the company towards achieving quality, customer service, and design and brand equity
comparable to the best worldwide.

Fashion & Lifestyle has ISO/IEC 27001:2005 accreditation with periodic internal audits. It's
manufacturing division recently became the first apparel manufacturing unit to win one of India's
most prestigious quality excellence award, the Ramkrishna Bajaj National Quality award,
instituted jointly by the Indian Merchants Chamber and the house of Bajaj.

Madura Fashion & Lifestyle is one of the fastest growing branded apparel companies, recording a
blistering growth rate of over 25 per cent year-on-year.

Overview

Madura fashion
and lifestyle

Louis Philippe Peter England Allen Solly Van Heusen People

MFL is one of the fastest growing company. It is the leading player in the retail market. The
companies' brand portfolio includes product line that range from affordable and mass market to
luxurious high-end style and cater of every age group, from children & youth to man &women.
MFL reaches its discerning customer through an exclusive network comparison more than 1,300
stores, covering 1.5 million Sq. feet of retail space, and it present in more than 2,000 premium
multi brand stores and 100 departmental stores. The collective offers a unique blend of global
fashion, international trends and innovative customer services to customer in Bangalore, Mumbai,

5
Delhi, Delhi NCR, Chandigarh & Pune. Planet fashion the multi brand, apparel retailing arm of
Madura Fashion & Lifestyle, housing the companies' in house and other brands, is the largest chain
of stores of its kind in India.
MFL marked the foray into luxury mono brand business in India by launching the quintessential
British men’s luxury clothing and accessories brand hacked London through a joint venture with
the UK firm. Recently company launched Trendim.com. Innovative design & MFL has 9001-2000
accreditation with periodic internal audits. MFL is an IT and web enabled organization, they used
ERP & SAP system. MFL is a global supplier for premium international brand such a E-spirit ‘S’
Oliver, MONOPRIX.MFL sources only from factories that are complaint with the factory Act, and
each factory is independently audited by the international textile service (ITS) and societies
generate surveillance (SGS) for international clients such as LP, marks & Spencer and VH.

Louis Philippe
It was the first genuinely international garment label introduced in the Indian market in 1989. The
brand brings crafted range of silks, trousers, blazers, ties and T-shirts that makes an exclusive
fashion statement recognized by its distinctive icon The Upper Crest. The brand creates an image
of stylish, confident, spirited, cool ensemble with hidden details, slimmer cuts. Lp — the youth
brand from Louis Philippe, has introduced new fashion formals range for today’s young and
successful urbanites. The range exudes élan, style and success which personifies today’s youth.

Van Heusen
Van Heusen, is a work-wear brand, brought to India in 1990. It has given corporate attire
altogether a new look and meaning through continuous product innovation and exclusive
collections such as Autumn Winter, Ken & Tony, Worldwear, Informals, IQ Clothing, winter wear,
knits, innerwear and accessories. Cool Pants, designed using breakthrough technology adopted by
NASA, or the Oxyrich shirts with oxygen ions to neutralize high stress levels in the intelligent
clothing (IQ) range, are a few examples of the tradition of innovation that began with the invention
of the collar in 1919. Worldwear is Van Heusen's extension of the best-selling range of corporate
wear for the global Indian.

6
Allen Solly

Allen Solly has established itself as the leading western wear brand redefining the wardrobe of the
modern Indian. It has popularized the Friday dressing concept in India. With the launch of its
women's wear range in December 2001, Allen Solly has made a successful foray into the growing
women's work and casual wear market. The brand has won the most admired brand - Womenswear
IFA 2004, 2005, 2007; most admired brand - trousers IFA 2005; most admired brand - smart
casuals IFA 2006. It has also won the IFA Images 2001 best brand award in the readymade
menswear category.

Peter England

It portfolio includes shirts, trousers, denim, suits, ties, wallets, socks. It strictly deals with men’s
apparel.

Product portfolio

Segment

Garments Cotton

Accessories Clothing Terylene,

Rayon, Pearl

Chemicals

Leather

7
 Garments Accessories

 SHIRTS  SHOE
 TROUSERS  BELT
 DENIMS  WALLETS
 SUITS  BAGS
 T-SHIRTS  CUFFLINKS
 LADIES WEAR
 POCKET SQUARE
 TIE

Product life cycle

The product life cycle describes the period of time over which an item is developed, brought to
market and eventually removed from the market. The cycle is broken into four stages: introduction,
growth, maturity and decline. The idea of the product life cycle is used in marketing to decide
when it is appropriate to advertise, reduce prices, explore new markets or create new packaging.

8
 The product life cycle has 4 very clearly defined stages, each with its own characteristics that mean
different things for business that are trying to manage the life cycle of their particular products.
The four stages of Product life cycle are:

1. Introduction stage
2. Growth stage
3. Maturity stage
4. Decline stage

Stages Time Duration

Introduction 1988-1999
Growth 1999-2008
Maturity stage 2008-till now
Decline Not yet started

Product life cycle of Madura Garments

Introduction Stage 1988-1999

Since foraying into the Indian textile scenario in 1988, Madura Garments, a division of Madura
Coats until 1999 has been catering to the varied apparel needs of men, with brands like Louis
Philippe, Van Huesen, Allen Solly and Peter England. During these stages the company faced a
lot of problem like lack of fund to operate the business, making loss etc.

Growth stage 1999-2008

During this stage Madura garments acquired by Aditya Birla and also the company launched Allen
Solly entered women’s formal wear market. After the introduction of Louise Phillip, Allen Solly
and Peter England into the market they could increase their market share at a high rate.

Maturity Stage 2008- till now

The company further entered into various categories like kids wear and all. It affects the market
share of the company and they reached at their saturated level. The last year the company earned
a revenue of 6632 crores.

9
Decline

The company is stands in the maturity point and they are not starting to the stage of decline

Competitive Pricing Strategies for Retailers

Loss leader

Goods advertised and sold at below cost price to entice customers into your retail store on the
assumption that, once inside the store, customers will be persuaded to buy full priced items as well.
A loss leader introduces new customers to products in the hope of building a customer base and
securing future recurring revenue.

Psychological Pricing
Psychological pricing is used to choose an attractive price based on the needs and wants of target
customers. Psychological pricing appeals to customer's emotional rather than rational side. For
instance, a higher price than competitors is associated with higher quality. On the other hand if
price of products is lower than the competition then customers will value them less. Another
psychological pricing strategy is charging, for instance, Rs9.99 instead of Rs10.00. Consumers
associate the price closer to £9.00 rather than £10.00, even though it is only 1p less. Odd number
pricing is another competitive pricing strategy for retailers to give the impression that they have
rigorously calculated the "best" price that is set at levels a little less than a round number, for
example Rs8.97, Rs99.95.

Dynamic Pricing
When it comes to dynamic pricing, Amazon reigns supreme. Amazon maintains its low-price
reputation by undercutting competitors on top-selling, high-visibility products, whilst protecting
margins by charging more on less price-sensitive items.
Every time you look there is a different price for an item on Amazon because they are constantly
matching competitive prices. Dynamic pricing is a critical capability for competing in e-
commerce and even bricks-and-mortar retail to drive revenue and margin growth.

10
Temporary Discounts
Implemented to attract customers who feel they are getting a good deal with a discount and who
may be tempted to stay loyal if there is a good chance of further discounts in the future, both on
the goods that they usually purchase and new ones they may be persuaded to try.

Price Lining

Involves distinct lines of products, each in a different price range, such as budget, standard and
high-end. The additional features on the high-end lines don't typically cost much but can allow to
increase prices significantly.

The increase in profitability offered by price lining is one reason marketing departments introduce
multiple ranges, since it allows to not only satisfy the needs of different customer segments but
also presents an option for customers to "buy up" to a higher priced and more profitable model.

Product Bundling

Product bundling allows to charge a unique, competitive price that cannot be copied by others.
Multiple products or components are packaged together for a single price and offer benefits to
both.

Electronics retailers often bundle hardware, software and accessories. Some companies use
bundling as a way to package less popular products with items more in demand..

Additionally, customers often experience economies of scale when buying a bundle of products
because if they have a need for all the components in the bundle, they typically appreciate that the
price of the bundle is lower than if the components were bought separately.

Typically, long-term benefits and better customer relationships develop if customer convenience
and value is motivation; tracking bundling performance and customer satisfaction helps ensure
long-term benefits.

11
Try packaging products in new ways

A convincing competitive pricing strategy for retailers that, for instance, allows a certain number
of pieces per bag that is different to the number of pieces per bag offered by the competition.

The right design can complement desired product positioning too.

Pricing strategies in Madura Garment products

Allen Solly – It aims to bring the best of dressing option for Indian audience at affordable price.
The price range is very soothing, people can buy impressive T-shirts at an initial price of 500rs
and shirts for around 900-1200rs. A normal Indian citizen can really cash on to his or her style
options with limited amount of money in his or her pocket by visiting Allen Solly.

Peter England – It arrived in the market and carved out a niche in ready to wear menswear market
by intelligently packaging its value for money proposition as ‘honest brand’. By calling itself as
an ‘honest shirt’, it indirectly struck a chord with value sensitive Indian buyer without bringing
price into an explicit consideration. The affordability was brilliantly packaged as honesty.

Van Heusen – Van Heusen clothes are sophisticated and cater to the upper-middle class and the
upper class of the society. Therefore, the price associated with the clothes of the brand
communicate the value of the products to the target audience. This price is a mark of high quality,
thus the pricing strategy in its marketing mix is a premium pricing one. The customers who can
afford this product don’t mind paying the premium as they get a top-quality product made from
the latest of technologies and fine fabric and other top-notch materials. Van Heusen price range of
the shirts is from Rs 1000 to Rs 5000. There are discounts which can be availed during sale and
during purchases from ecommerce sites. The men’s range from Rs350 to Rs700, which is again a
premium price in that category. The blazers range from Rs7000 to Rs12000. The trousers range
from Rs1500 to Rs3000. The ties range from Rs500 to as high as Rs4000. Tops for women come
in the range of Rs800 to Rs2000. The pants for women are in the similar range as that of men that
is Rs1500 to Rs3000. The sweaters for both men and women range from Rs1500 to Rs 4000.

Louis Philippe- Louis Philippe is premium brand and offers high-quality products to its
customers. It symbolizes status, elegance, class and a lifestyle that demotes opulence and regal.
The brand has targeted upper-middle and the upper-class section from Urban sector as its target
12
customers because they don’t not hesitate to make a purchase on the basis of price ranges. For the
style-conscious individual who is looking for a contemporary and fashion statement, Louis
Philippe has adopted a premium pricing and prestige pricing strategy. It has been successful in its
pricing endeavors because its target customers are ready to be associated with this premium brand
because its target quality and brand status in market irrespective of high product prices. It also has
implemented promotional strategy and offers incentives like periodical offers to retain the loyalty
of its customer base.

Madura Fashion & Lifestyle Competitors

Madura Fashion & Lifestyle (Madura) is the largest premium branded apparel player in India. Its
premium brands – Louis Philippe, Van Heusen, Allen Solly and its popular brand – Peter England,
are leaders in their respective categories. Louis Philippe and Van Heusen are the best-selling
apparel brands in India. Madura also retails international brands like Armani Collezioni, Hugo
Boss, Versace Collection, and many more under one roof ‘The Collective’. It has also launched
Hackett’s mono brand stores. Madura has also launched an online shopping portal

13
www.TRENDIN.com, which is a one-stop online shopping destination for Madura brands,
catering to both men and women

The major competitors include Aravind ,Sara Groups and Raymond.Other competitors also
include teve Madden,Forever 21,Perry Ellis International,Nautica,Southern Tide,Ara, Indus-
League clothing, Levi Strauss & Co, Provogue (India), Zodiac Clothing, and Bombay Dyeing

Madura Garments was the garments division of Indian Rayon and Industries Ltd, a flagship
company of the Aditya Birla Group. Madura Garments was the market leader in the branded
apparel industry in 2004..

Most analysts believed that the big brands owned by large textile houses like aditiya birla treated
their ready-to-wear segment as an augmentation of their fabrics business and due to this mindset,
lacked fresh ideas and were unable to keep up with market trends.

The marketers of big brands were often not willing to experiment and tap smaller towns and cities.
They concentrated only on big cities by setting up large exclusive stores and were averse to the
idea of placing their products in multi-brand stores.

Aditya Birla Fashion Limited has emerged as the largest fashion player in India with a host of
premium menswear brands while Pantaloons division is a leading fashion retailer It is believe the
slowdown in Madura is a short term phenomena and expect a revival in growth led by network
expansion, new brands/categories and uptick in demand

14
 SWOT Analysis

1. Varieties of popular brands are available

2. Caters to all types of clothing
3. Premium fashion and international fashion is also available
4. The brand is a winner of various prestigious awards throughout
years

5. A good Brand Equity by Madura Garments is major Strength

6. More than 1,000 exclusive and franchise stores, and over 2,000
Strengths premium multi-brand trade outlets

1.Global penetration is limited as compared to international leading

brands
2.Sub Brands are similar thus they might not know the difference
Weaknesses in each brand’s product offering

1. High growth in the industry as well as spending income

increasing
2. International fashion styles accepted globally
Opportunities 3. Tie-up and association with global brands for better global reach

1. Internal competition among brands is a serious threat

2. External competition and price wars decrease the switching cost
for a customer
Threats 3.Fashion evolving every day is a major threat

Strengths

 Portfolio of strong brands

15
 With its portfolio of established brands and large format fashion retail presence, your Company
has a leading position in the Indian apparel market and caters to consumers across all segments,
from Luxury to Value; including men, women and kids in the formal, casual and ethnic space.

 Deep expertise in Design, Product Development and Sourcing

Company has invested deeply in building strong design and product development capabilities. This
coupled with global sourcing capabilities and robust supply chain systems has helped in
continuously bringing to the market innovative products in line with rapidly changing fashion
trends.

 Largest Distribution Network

 The Company has a wide distribution network spread across 750 cities through 2,261 stores, 3,300
SISs and 4,500 MBOs; making it the largest distribution network of any apparel business in the
country.
 Strong People Processes

Company attracts the best people in the apparel Industry and has strong systems of nurturing the
talent backed by robust people development processes, mentoring, career development programs
and employee engagement initiatives.

Weaknesses

 Inadequate presence in fast growing segments

While the company has a strong presence and brands in menswear segment and has recently
entered fast fashion and innerwear categories, it has a relatively lower presence in western women
swear, casual wear, denims and kids wear segments. As part of its strategy, Company is keenly
focusing to quickly build capabilities in these segments as well.

Opportunities

 Large Growing Market

Rising incomes, increasing disposition towards fashion, greater access and awareness about brands
is creating a large shift towards branded fashion across the country. While consumers in larger
cities still have access to brands and organized retailers, the overall market continues to remain

16
 under-penetrated. This offers growth opportunities in Tier II/III cities. Duly recognizing the
opportunity, your Company has built its growth strategy around these key markets.

 Global Experiences

The company is also looking to tap the opportunity in the super-premium segment as more affluent
consumers seek international brands and global experiences.

 Online Business

As consumers are shifting to online purchase, your Company sees an opportunity in building a
substantial online business.

Threats

 Scarcity of quality retail space

Retail space in India is limited to key markets and a few successful malls, leading to a scarcity of
suitable retail spaces at the right rentals.

 Emergence of E-commerce players with deep pockets

The share of online business is growing rapidly and will continue to disrupt the value proposition
to customers through deep discounting and promotions.

 Talent Retention

The company faces constant threat to its talent pool from competition; primarily from the new
international players and E-commerce companies in the industry.

PESTEL Analysis

Political factors:

The political factors can be the biggest source of uncertainty for the fashion industry. So as a
company in apparel and fashion industry Madura fashions will also be affected by such factors.
Several geopolitical events have rocked the fashion industry in 2016 and in 2017 things are

17
expected to change, however, uncertainty still prevails. Volatility due to political factors is not
unexpected. Even the fast fashion brands have felt the challenge in the Middle Eastern countries
where political instability and terrorism continue to pose a threat to business. In this way, the
higher the level of geopolitical instability, the higher will be the level of uncertainty in the fashion
industry.

Economic Factors:
Economic factors too have a deep impact on the fashion retail industry. While it is itself a very
large part of the global economy, it is affected by the economic fluctuations worldwide. Economic
volatility can affect sales and profits. It is considered one of the key industries in the global
economy and in terms of GDP if it was a nation would have been the seventh largest economy in
the world. Since the recession, while there has been a lot of recovery, there is more to unfold in
2017. Last year, Demonetization in India, the situation till now has been tough for it. Still, the
industry is hopeful. With the recession gone, the situation of employment globally has grown better
globally. Consumers’ buying power has increased and that is some good news. However, fashion
industry adds to the economy too since it is one of the biggest employers as well. In this way, the
fashion industry affects and is affected by the economic factors. The level of competition in the
industry has also affected individual brands and their sales and profits.

Social factors:

Socio-cultural factors also have an important role in the growth of the fashion retail industry. Major
social changes have occurred in the last ten years that have affected the demand for fashion
products. While the millennial generation is now the main target of the fashion marketers, its
preferences are very different from the previous generations. A number of changes on the socio-
cultural level have affected how people shop and make their shopping decisions or which brands
they prefer to shop from. Millennials do not just want convenience but also low prices and great
quality. The demographic makeup of global population has changed a lot during the recent decade.
Fast fashion brands like Zara and Madura fashions have brought affordable but good quality
fashion to the customers. High class fashion is no more the privilege of upper end consumers
because, it has been made affordable using technology and new techniques. Not just taste but other
things have also changed about the consumers. They have grown more discerning and make
decisions based on information which they can acquire easily from several resources. They rely

18
on feedback and not on advertising or marketing campaigns. In light of these changes the fashion
retail environment has grown challenging.

Technological:

Technology is also a very important factor affecting the growth of the fashion retail industry. A
large part of the 21st century growth story of fashion retail can be attributed to the technological
developments that have happened in this era. Globalization, IT, internet and increased use of
mobile devices for shopping all these are affecting sales, marketing and consumer choices. Today
consumers are well ignored and make choices after researching everything. They discuss their
choices with the others and also share their views. The millennial generation mostly likes to shop
online and likes a personalized experience in terms of shopping and customer service. Technology
has disrupted several things and apart from improved production and supply chain, it has also
brought greater effectiveness to the sales and marketing of fashion products. Another area where
technology has benefitted the fashion brands is in terms of overseas expansion. Ecommerce has
helped them go past borders and sell to a larger customer segment.

Environmental:

Environment and sustainability are just as important in terms of the fashion retail industry as in
any other. Even the fashion brands are careful about their carbon footprint and are marketing
themselves as more environment friendly brands. They are investing in environment and
sustainability and using more environment friendly raw materials, packaging and operations.
Sustainability has become a key influencer of the consumers’ purchasing decisions. Several large
fashion brands like H&M and Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd have formulated sustainability
goals and are working actively to achieve them. They are working in the direction of maximization
of productivity and minimization of carbon footprint.

Legal:

Legal challenges also abound in the fashion retail industry. Ethics and compliance are important
focus areas for the big brands and they are working actively in his direction. The fashion industry
is a large employer and apart from the labour laws the other common laws applicable in business
also apply on it. Environmental laws have also grown tough and need to be complied with. There

19
are other laws related to international trade too that require compliance. However, legal
compliance and an ethical image can be beneficial for a fashion brand’s business.

Marketing Strategies of Madura Garments

What is marketing strategy

A marketing strategy serves as the base of a marketing plan. A marketing plan contains a list of
specific actions required to successfully implement a specific marketing strategy. An example of
marketing strategy is as follows: "Use a low-cost product to attract consumers. Once the
organization, via the low-cost product, has established a relationship with consumers, the
organization will sell additional, higher-margin products and services that enhance the consumer's
interaction with the low-cost product or service." Without a sound marketing strategy, a marketing
plan has no foundation. Marketing strategies serve as the fundamental foundation of marketing
plans designed to reach marketing objectives.

Marketing Mix

The marketing mix refers to the set of actions, or tactics, that a company uses to promote its brand or product
in the market. The 4Ps make up a typical marketing mix - Price, Product, Promotion and Place. The
marketing mix of Madura garments are:

Product

Louis Philippe

It was the first genuinely international garment label introduced in the Indian market in1989. The
brand brings crafted range of silks, trousers, blazers, ties and T-shirts that makes an exclusive
fashion statement recognized by its distinctive icon The Upper Crest. The brand creates an image
of stylish, confident, spirited, cool ensemble with hidden details, slimmer cuts. Lp — the youth
brand from Louis Philippe, has introduced new fashion formals range for today’s young and
successful urbanites. The range exudes élan,style and success which personifies today’s youth.

20
Van Heusen

Van Heusen, is a work-wear brand, brought to India in 1990. It has given corporate attire altogether
a new look and meaning through continuous product innovation and exclusive collections such as
Autumn Winter, Ken & Tony, Worldwear, Informals, IQ Clothing, winter wear, knits,
innerwear and accessories. Cool Pants, designed using breakthrough technology adopted by
NASA, or the Oxyrich shirts with oxygen ions to neutralize high stress levels in the intelligent
clothing (IQ) range, are a few examples of the tradition of innovation that began with the invention
of the collar in 1919. Worldwear is Van Heusens extension of the best-selling range of corporate
wear for the global Indian.

Allen Solly

Allen Solly has established itself as the leading western wear brand redefining the wardrobe of the
modern Indian. It has popularized the Friday dressing concept in India. With the launch of its
women's wear range in December 2001, Allen Solly has made a successful foray into the
growing women's work and casual wear market. The brand has won the most admired brand
- Womenswear IFA 2004, 2005, 2007; most admired brand - trousers IFA 2005; most admired
brand - smart casuals IFA 2006. It has also won the IFA Images 2001 best brand award in the
readymade menswear category.

Peter England

It portfolio includes shirts, trousers, denim, suits, ties, wallets, socks. It strictly deals with

men’s apparel.

Place

Madura Garments has exclusive showroom space which includes several large format

brand outlets of world-class standards, providing top quality retail experience to the consumers. It
also has a highly visible presence in large department and multi brand stores.

Planet Fashion

Planet Fashion is the apparel retailing arm of Madura Garments, Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd.

21
It houses not only their leading (in-house) menswear brands like Louis Philippe, Van Heusen,
Allen Solly and Peter England, but also Levi's denim, Monte Carlo knitwear and most
recently, Jocky innerwear in selected stores. It aims to be the complete wardrobe solution for a
man - a one-stop destination for all his apparel needs. Its product portfolio ranges from corporate
formal wear to casual leisure wear, accessories, t-shirts, winterwear and lately, denims and
innerwear.

To bolster its presence significantly in the exploding apparel retail sector, the company has started
retailing its life style brand and affordable popular brands through two new formats – Madura
Garments Lifestyle Retail Company Limited and Peter England Fashions and Retail Limited.

 Current number of stores: 82 in India, 5 international

 Cities: Across 50 cities in India, ranging from high streets like Connaught Place and South
Extension to smaller towns like Bareilly, Karnal and Dehradun.
 International presence in Dubai (2), Sharjah, Qatar and Kathmandu

Promotion

Like its competitor, Madura too relies very heavily on advertisements, both print and Television.
However, Madura brands have been known to offer more sale opportunities to consumers.
Similarly, they have more print advertisements than TV advertisements. Their advertisements
usually feature foreign men and women, indicating that they are a universal and more international
brand catering to both sexes. Louis Phillipe goes by the tagline: The Upper Crest indicating that it
is a premium product meant for those with a refined taste in apparels. Allen Solly goes by the
popular tagline My World My way and recently has adopted I Hate Ugly as its catchphrase. It
indicates a strong sense of sense and speaks of lifestyle choices especially adventurous and fashion
conscious. Besides having a highly organized retailing and web presence, other more regular
promotion schemes employed by Madura is continuous improvement in its products and services,
concept of multi brand outlets, fashion accessories, satisfying consumers of multiple wardrobe
under one brand and customer loyalty program where Privilege Cards are issued to regular and
frequent buyers. By focusing on quality while having competitive prices and a very strong

22
distribution network, Madura has not only been able to capture a good market share, but it also
wins awards for its innovations and quality. Such awards no doubt further boost its popularity and
perception of reliability in eyes of the consumer.

Price

Product Price range Segment

Louis Philippe 1,900-8,900 Premium

Van Heusen 1,500-6,000 Premium

Allen Solly 1,500-3,600 Premium

Peter England 900-2,500 Sub - premium

Strategies of Madura Garments

Market segmentation and pricing strategy

Based on income and social status, Indian garment is divided into 3 broader segments mainly
premium, mid - priced, and economy.

Branding and product positioning

Branding is all about creating differences between products. Madura garments was the first to
introduce branded readymade garments. They were very intentional in introducing new brands at
every category of clothing. They used their brands for creating value for its products among the
targeted customers.

23
Market Expansion

An example for Madura garments market expansion can be taken by the case of Peter England. It
was positioned as ‘Honest Shirt’ that worth money. Targeted young executives age group. They
followed a mid pricing approach and all this helped the brand and company for its market
expansion. Brand worth grew and captured market because of quality, pricing, distribution and
high decibel advertising.

Product Innovation

It is done by introduction of new range of products and new technologies.

Better marketing channels

Madura garments used high decibel advertising. They used icons like Amitabh Bachan to promote
their brands. They opened mega stores in Mumbai, Chennai, and Pune. They have many stores
around the country in other names like Planet Fashions, Trouser Towns etc.

Customer segment

Customer segment is the practice of dividing the customer base into groups of individuals that are
similar in specific ways relevant to marketing such as age, gender spending habits etc…
Segmentation allows marketers to better tailor their marketing efforts to various audience subsets.
Those efforts can relate to both communications and product development.

Madura Garments and lifestyle had been mainly looking for those customers who are seeking for
style, attitude, luxury and comfort. They were looking for both men and women of the age group
from the age group of 20 – 50.

Madura garments and Lifestyle had segmented its customer based on their income status

24
 UPPER
CLASS

MIDDLE CLASS

LOWER CLASS

They had divided the customer into 3 broad segments that is upper segment, middle segment, and
lower segment based on the income of the people. They can also be termed as premium, mid-
priced, and economy type customers.

Branding

Madura Fashion & Lifestyle harnesses the power of young, driven professionals from the country's
best professional institutes and companies. For years now, empowered and motivated employees
have propelled Madura Fashion & Lifestyle towards achieving quality, customer service, and
design and brand equity comparable to the best worldwide.

Madura Fashion & Lifestyle is defined by its brands:

 Louis Philippe symbolizes elegance, class, status, and a lifestyle that is distinctly majestic and
opulent. The brand draws its name and inspiration from King Louis Philippe of France, who was
famed for his generosity of spirit and his appreciation of the arts.
 A premium lifestyle brand, Van Heusen assiduously follows the company mandate; fashion for
the corporate world. The brand's target audience is the successful, sophisticated, erudite, multi-

25
 faceted professional. For the Van Heusen customer, elegance and style are not just fads, but a
philosophy.
 Launched in India in 1993, Allen Solly brought about a completely new concept to menswear in
India - Friday Dressing. In the years that followed, the brand, with its Anglo-American heritage,
proved to be the most innovative of the Madura Fashion & Lifestyle's brands.
 Peter England is the largest menswear brand in India with over 5 million garments sold every
year. Peter England is universally accepted amongst its millions of consumers for its standardized
fits, superior quality, wide range and 'fashion-right' styles in its segment, making it the most trusted
brand amongst consumers in the readymade apparel category.
 People was launched in 2008 as a fashion wear brand offering international and fusion styles to
the family at an affordable price. Originally part of the popular Peter England brand, it broke away
to develop its own distinct identity in 2009.
 Planet Fashion is the apparel-retailing arm of the company. Planet Fashion houses leading in-
house brands such as Louis Philippe, Van Heusen, Peter England, and Allen Solly. Each of these
brands is a complete lifestyle brand and has an exhaustive range of shirts, trousers, knits, winter
wear, suits and accessories. They offer the best range across formal, semi-formal and casual
occasions and across various price ranges.
 The Collective is a super-premium lifestyle retail chain by Madura Fashion & Lifestyle, a division
of Aditya Birla Nuvo. A first-of-its-kind retail concept, The Collective has a host of international
apparel and accessory brands making a foray into the country for the first time.
 Brands and sub-brands

Take out any major brand in the country – Louis Philippe, Allen Solly, Van Heusen, Peter England,
Byford, Elements, San Frisco – and it would appear that most or all belong to the stable of Madura
Garments. The company was first established in 1988 by Madura Coats Ltd, and became a fully
owned subsidiary of Aditya Birla Group in January 2000. The company launched Louis Philippe
in 1989, Van Heusen a year later, followed by Allen Solly in 1993.

 Louis Philippe draws its inspiration from the era of King Louis Philippe of France. As a sub-brand,
Lp imbibes a lot of its values from Louis Philippe. “There are certain motivational drivers that we
have found in Louis Philippe. One is the winning attitude; most people who are achievers have
always recognised this brand as something they wanted to have. Then, there is passion for success,

26
 passion for life… all these things are carried into Lp. But if I were to name one value that is most
important in Lp, it would be passion; it is all about passion for dressing,” mulled Samrat Som,
design head, Louis Philippe and Lp.

 Similarly, Van Heusen, which was known as a premium men’s executive wear brand, has come
full circle to include women and younger men through its sub-brands. While Van Heusen Woman
caters to contemporary Indian women, V Dot’s range of trendy outfits is targeted at a new segment
of young male consumers, earlier neglected by the premium menswear brand. The extensions
ensured that the business wear brand has evolved from being just shirt makers to a lifestyle fashion
brand.

 “The brand extensions definitely add to the larger Van Heusen image without compromising on
their independent identities. In case of V Dot, for instance, what it borrows from Van Heusen is
the international pedigree, strong brand equity, sophistication and premiumness; and, in turn, it
lends to Van Heusen the new/younger target audience, a new mindset and lifestyle that could not
be reached through the earlier Van Heusen image,” said Gaurav Raheja, designer of V Dot.

 Launching Allen Solly womenswear in 2002, Vikram Rao, director, Indian Rayon, had
commented: “We feel there is a definite potential to expand the market by offering a range of
western womenswear, properly styled and cut according to body types, under the Allen Solly brand
name. That will complete the whole lifestyle package, and we will have a strong retail line-up to
back it up.”

 According to reports, Van Heusen Woman and V Dot are big hits in the United States and
European markets as well. However, Van Heusen Woman in India was not an instant hit like Allen
Solly womenswear was. According to Madura Garments officials, though, Van Heusen Woman
has started picking up in the market and is expected to bring in more revenues. Meanwhile, for Lp,
the company plans to open 10-15 exclusive stores in this fiscal and targets a big sum in return.

27
Conclusion

Madura garments and lifestyle had created a multi-product category which is having a product
portfolio of garments and leather. The company is having a wide range of offering with varied
brands. They mainly try to acquire those customers who are seeking for style, attitude, luxury and
comfort and they were targeting both men and women of the age group between twenty-fifty.

They had divided their customer into three segment that is upper, middle and lower. Their product
are from the range from six hundred and it can goes up to three thousand. They were facing
competition from Lacoste, Maharaja, Excalibur and they were trying to have a competitive edge
over them by keeping on updating with their catalogue, brand positioning, branding. The company
is able to have a good brand name among the Indian consumer and also were able to position their
brands in a good way. The company is having different types of brand under the company and they
were also able to bring a good differentiation among the brand, so that they were able to bring
promote or segment them in a good way.

The company is not in a good position in the online platform as they are not able to do in that area.
They are not able to bring good store ambience into the store as it is now one of the major factor
that can influence the customer buying behavior in the market. Madura Garments were not able to
bring a good promotional strategy for the company. The promotional strategy of the company was
not effective to influence the customers.

28
References

About us. (2018, 01 23). Retrieved from Madura garments:

http://www.madurafnl.com/about_us/about_us.html

Madura Garments - Marketing Branded Men's Wear in India, MKTG064 (01 23, 2018).

Madura Garments announces marketing campaign for Allen Solly. (2018, 01 23). Retrieved from
The Hindu: http://www.thehindu.com/business/companies/Madura-Garments-announces-
marketing-campaign-for-Allen-Solly/article16885892.ece

29