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Overview:
Allen Solly was launched as a semi-casual brand by Madura garments in 1993. They
started it with the concept of Friday Dressing - suggesting a relaxed attire, w
hich suited its bright solid-colour cotton shirts. It was sold in exclusive show
rooms which had a youthful retail ambience, targeting the young professionals. L
ater it launched its range of 'friction free' shirts staying with the brands' th
eme of 'cool convergence'. The brand is Madura Garment's fastest growing brand.
Marketing Strategy:
There was a need for a casual work-wear among the young professionals. The growi
ng young working class of employees further reinforced the potential of a relaxe
d formal wear. Madura garments had spotted this opportunity very early and has b
een a success story because of the well implemented marketing startegies.
Allen Solly entered the market with the concept of Friday Dressing in 1993. It l
aunched formal wears in colored shirts and Khaki trousers which became an instan
t hit reflecting the the idea of relaxed formals. This was an instant hit with t
he consumers.
In 1995, the brand launched ultra bright colors in the formal segment. Colors li
ke yellow, brown , red etc was introduced as formal wears. The yellow shirt feat
ured in the TV commercial became a big hit among the consumers.
The brand became further popular with the youth with the launch of wrinkle free
cottons and checked formal shirts. The young generation used it as an expression
of their personal freedom.
Other brands launched similar ranges and colors and soon relaxed formal wear bec
ame part of normal work wear going with the concept of Friday dressing. Allen So
lly was valued at Rs 250 crore brand by now. It has such a strong position in th
e market that it is compared with the 'Queen' on a chess board.
There was a huge demand for trousers of size 26-28 for women. In 2002 Allen Soll
y launched its range of women wear which was well accepted by the target group.
Through Allen Solly Women's Wear, Madura formally extended the concept of Friday
Dressing1 to women all over the country.
In 2009, the brand went for a repositioning exercise. There was a shift in the d
emographics of the target segment. While the workforce of 1990s were predominant
ly of the age group of 26 +, now youngsters of age 22-23 yrs started entering th
e workforce. The brand wanted to be more relevant to the new young working class
and also attract consumers beyond the workplace. The brand positioned itself as
a casual brand for all occasions.
To reflect the change in positioning, the brand changed its brand campaigns to b
reak the ealier association as a forwal wear. In 2009, the brand launched its fa
mous " I Hate Ugly " campaign targeting the youth reflecting the non-compromisin
g attitude of youngsters towards life. Allen Solly also changed the tagline to "
My World , My Way " to reflect the new brand proposition. My World , My Way ref
lects the strong individualistic view of the youngsters.
In its new image, shedding its earlier image of being a formal wear, the brand h
as identified a gap for a premium fashion brand specifically targeting the young
generation who have a ever-chaning concept of fashion .
FUTURE:
Allen Solly, the Rs 250 crore (2009 turnover) fashion apparel brand, which accou
nts for 28 to 30 per cent of Madura Garments turnover, is reinventing itself from
 the image of semi-formals and casuals brand to a brand of fashion and personalcare
lifestyle products... is looking at new opportunities in India and is all set to
expand its retail presence in the country... planning to open 13 new flagship s
tores across the country by March 2009. It will focus on cities including Delhi,
Chennai, Kolkata and Bangalore. This will take the number of Allen Solly's flag
ship stores in the country to 63.
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Overview:
In the apparels market, branding is everything. Peter England was launched in th
e year 1997 and positioned as good quality product at a great price and the consum
er s need for product plus brand imagery'. Its selling proposition was of the virtu
e of modesty - 'the honest shirt'. Even with prices starting from Rs. 395, it wa
s well able to penetrate the urban markets. It has its own chain of showrooms es
tablishing itself among its sister brands selling millions of units every year.
Marketing Strategy:
Research revealed that the consumers perceived premium shirts as overpriced and
there was a need for such a national brand. Peter England was initially position
ed as an Honest Shirt . The strategy clicked and has to click because the product w
as very good and the price was excellent. It just fit in to ones budget. The tar
get market for the brand was the 24-28 ambitious and career oriented youth. In o
rder to make sure that the excitement remains, Peter England came out with vario
us ranges and varieties of shirts. The brand also extended to trousers with the
same positioning.
Peter England, which reaches suburban areas too, is distributed widely thro
ugh a three-tier system
(others are two-tier) that reaches over 2,000 outlets (apart from six big Peter
England stores).
In 2002 the brand made a slight makeover. The positioning changed to Honestly Imp
ressive . The aim is to make the brand more than just value for money proposition
but also as a lifestyle brand. Peter England is now projected as an ' everyday u
se ' brand but that which creates impression. It has maintained its value propos
ition unchanged. The idea was to bring in a new set of brand value : creating im
pressions.
The entire communication of the brand has changed. The brand now has Foreign Mod
els, Foreign Locations and a new image. The brand is running a heavy-duty print
campaign for its Summer/Spring collection.
Along with the change in the communication, Peter England also has made a confid
ent foray into the premium segment with a sub-brand :Elite. At the same time, fo
r the older lot, selling casual wear under Elements, a casual Peter England sub-
brand.
It has endeavored to change from wholesale garment company to a wardrobe brand a
nd now to a lifestyle brand retail-led player. In May 2008, it launched its sec
ond retail arm, Peter England People, in Mumbai to transform its branded apparel
business, from a wholesale shirt brand player to a retail-led company. The PEP
brand, rolled out through 80 stores spread over 34 cities across India. In the n
ext three to five years, PEP brand roll-out, growth plans have been chalked out
involving investments of over Rs 400 crore.
PEP s hallmark is the concept of a family store, where Peter England brands of men s
, women s and kid s wear will be on the shelves towards its aim towards a lifestyle
brand.