Undeterred by dampened consumer sentiment, footwear and apparel maker Woodland is upping production capacity at plants across countries and in India on the back of increased sales in shoes and garments. The company, which was born when Indian exporter Aero Group bought a bankrupt Canada-based company in the late 1980s, has already earmarked nearly Rs. 500 crore to open eight large-format stores across the country over the next three years.
The nearly 30 per cent increase in capacity, which includes importing of German machinery to optimise production at the company’s plants in India, will entail an additional investment of Rs. 50 - Rs. 100 crore and will hopefully finish by the end of this year.
“While yes, there is a slowdown, we have seen 20- 25 per cent growth in sales. Apart from bigger cities, we want to tap into the smaller towns as well. In India, we are seeing good growth in leather-oriented products,” Managing Director Harkirat Singh said, in an interaction with The Hindu on Monday.
