Tommy Hilfiger ties-up with Welspun for marketing home textiles

Global fashion brand Tommy Hilfiger has selected Welspun India to market its premium home textiles in India through a licensee arrangement. Welspun India is planning to capitalise upon the opportunities in the evolving home textiles market in India and expects to gain sizeable premium, mid-priced and discount segments over a period of next 3-4 years. Indian home textile sector is estimated to be around Rs 1200 crores. Welspun entered the segment last year marketing a range of bath and bed products under the brand Spaces, even as the Nusli Wadia owned Bombay Dyeing has been playing the lead role in the domestic market in a nascent market. Concentrating on the premium Rs 2,000 onwards market segment with the Tommy Hilfiger brand, Spaces will address Rs 500 to Rs 2,000 of the mass market, and Welspun will be the discount brand. Though Welspun supplies terry towels to Tommy Hilfiger, US, it will initially import the Tommy Hilfiger home linen products to be retailed in India. Expected to go for production after May/June 2005, the Tommy Hilfiger brand will be manufactured at its sheeting plant having 1 lakh metres per day capacity. So Bombay Dyeing, and a few ‘boutique’ stores like Jagdish Stores, Fab India and others will have competition this year like never before.