The KPR Group is one of the top business conglomerates in the country with its vertically integrated textile manufacturing facilities and diversified business interests in areas like education, automobiles and sugar. The group companies have always been known to be trendsetters in the textile industry. KPR launched its brand FASO innerwear and athleisure wear in 2019, which has received enthusiastic response in the market. In an exclusive interview, E. K. Sakthivel, Executive Director, KPR Mill Ltd., provides detailed insights into the FASO brand, USPs and future plans
The FASO brand, which is the first foray of the KPR Group into the branded apparel segment, was launched in May 2019 and has already been creating ripples in the market.
Providing details about the launch, E.K. Sakthivel, Executive Director, KPR Mill Ltd., says: “We had launched the brand initially in Coimbatore, Madurai and Chennai. We started with 15 products of men’s innerwear – basically briefs, trunks and gym vests. Within three months’ time we expanded across Tamil Nadu. Right now we are offering 34 styles in men’s inner wear. We intend increasing it to 42 very soon. We will have briefs, trunks, vests and athleisure wear consisting of jogger shorts, pants, gym vests and T-shirts.”
“You can expect these new additions to our range maybe in a couple of months’ time,” he adds. The company has been expanding its presence by steadily increasing its network of distributors. Revealing details about the network, Sakthivel states: “Right now we are working with 30 distributors and the plan is to have 75 distributors across South India by this year end. Similarly, right now we are placed in 1,500 shops, i.e., multi-brand outlets. So far as large-format stores are concerned, we are launching our products in SPAR outlets during April-May 2020. Initially FASO would be available in about 10 outlets of SPAR. We also plan to launch in other leading stores this year.”
Overwhelming response
According to Sakthivel, the company is extremely satisfied with the response that the brand has got till date. “We feel overwhelmed. It is more than what we expected. Right from day one we were clear about our target audience. We are reaching out to consumers in the age group of 18-35, in other words ‘millennial’. With respect to pricing we follow what is known as the leader pricing strategy, which means you can get premium quality and fashion at an affordable price,” he states.
The organic factor
Elaborating further on the strategy, Sakthivel states: “We are perhaps the only brand in the country which offers a combination of being organic and fashionable along with affordability. While there are many brands which claim to be organic, if you were to take a closer look you will find that only a few of their products would be actually organic whereas, in our case, the entire range is organic. We are that way a truly organic brand. From day one we stand differentiated from other brands due to this reason.” Continuing on the subject, Sakthivel says: “We are also very clear that we are not placing ourselves as an economical brand competing with the typical ‘me too’ kind of Rs. 80-90 innerwear brands.”
“We are also not like the premium brands which typically start at Rs. 150 and go on till Rs. 800-900. Our range starts somewhere in the middle at Rs. 139 and reaches till Rs. 499. Even in the case of athleisure wear, the price that we are offering is affordable, again without any compromise on the quality, comfort and performance front,” he adds. So how does the brand manage this combination of affordable pricing while being an organic brand and at the same time placing itself at the forefront when it comes to fashion and feel? Is it an economically viable option? Replies Sakthivel: “It is possible for us because we are vertically integrated. We have our own infrastructure from spinning till garments.”
“We have a team of experts who source cotton for our group companies. We spin our cotton and the yarn becomes fabric in our own processing division along with additional processes which give the feel and texture to the fabrics. We have always been known for our modern infrastructure, featuring the latest top-end textile making machinery,” he adds. In terms of production infrastructure, the KPR Group has a capacity of 250,000 kg per day in spinning with a total of 350,000 spindle capacity and an average of 25,000 pieces per day when it comes to garmenting. A few manufacturing lines have been exclusively allotted for the FASO brand in the group’s factories.
Expansion plans
When asked about when the company intends to launch its own exclusive FASO retail outlets, Sakthivel reveals: “We plan to spread pan-India by 2023. We want to add our range of ladies and kids wear and go pan-India. It is only after we accomplish this that we want to open our own exclusive retail outlets. For a family walking into any of our showrooms, we want to provide them with a complete shopping experience. There should be something for every member of the family. For men we want to increase our product basket from the current 42 items to about 75 to 90 products. Similarly, for women and kids too we want to have multiple product categories. You can say we are targeting having at least around 150 styles before we start our own exclusive FASO retail outlets.”
Huge potential
“As mentioned earlier, we offer a combination of an organic, fashionable and affordable product. The sheer feel and comfort of our products are sure to make them a favourite. This is how we have differentiated ourselves. With additions to our product range planned, we are sure that we will continue to surge ahead in this market segment in the future,” Sakthivel says.
Summing up the promotional strategy adopted by the company, he informs: “So far as marketing activities are concerned, we had started with hoardings at vantage points in various cities. We have also been able to connect with our target audience through various social media platforms and advertisements in cinema theatre. We want to reach a certain number of multi-brand retail outlets to start with. Once we reach that target we also plan to come out with advertisements for television channels too.”