In an unconventional move, Louis Philippe, the premium men’s apparel and accessories brand from the Aditya Birla Group, has forayed into watch retailing by introducing a collection of 41 watches priced in the range of Rs. 6,999 and Rs. 23,000 targeted at its customers.
Branded as Louis Philippe Time, this collection will be exclusively available at Louis Philippe showrooms across the country.
Later on these will sold at departmental stores. The top most line called Aura comprises of Swiss watches.
“This (watches) is our first category outside apparels spectrum. Watch is not about telling time anymore. It is the extension of one’s personality and watches complete the grooming process of men,” said Sooraj Bhat Ullal, Chief Operating Officer (COO), Louis Philippe, which is a part of Madura Fashion & Lifestyle.
“This is why we wanted to come out with exclusive watches. We had worked on this project for 18 months and here is the range and the quality is extremely high,” he said.
By end of October the collection will be available at 85 Louis Philippe stores and by November end these will be sold at 130 stores.
The company has worked with independent designers to develop the collection. Other than the Swiss watches, the rest of the collection is outsourced to preferred vendors and is imported from Hong Kong.
Meanwhile, the company is exploring the possibility of entering into new lines of business under its brand name. “We will get into more solutions for men and it is too early to comment,” said Mr Ullal.
