A Crystal Clear Strategy

Traditions are an important part of Crystal Knitters and something to which we give much thought: What are the good traditions we must keep and value, and which ones have run their course and need to move on? M. Rajendra, Director-Marketing, Crystal Knitters Pvt Ltd on how they are balancing tradition with innovation and the dawn of new era of business for Crystal Knitters. A report by Sunil Pol

- Sunil Pol

After joining the convoy of one of the country’s leading textile brands venturing into modern retail with their own exclusive brand outlets (EBOs) five years back, Crystal Knitters, one of the finest yarn-to-apparel manufacturers, is on the move to paint a larger picture in the retail segment. It is now in the league to launch its highest network of exclusive stores to offer an entire range of casual wear, sportswear, leisure wear, innerwear, loungewear, etc. with an ultimate aim to be a complete family destination. The company is planning to expand through franchise format and is looking for the right partners who share same passion. Hence, with a view to cater to the need of metros and small town consumers pan-India, the brand has introduced two formats of stores – big and small. While the small format would offer a wide range of its products, the big format would be a complete family destination. It is presently operating through 20 stores based in southern and western region, of which 10 stores are run by franchisees while the rest are company-owned.

THE JOURNEY

The company was established in 1971 by K Venkatapathy and is currently managed by V Shriprakash and V Vijaysekar, sons of the founder. Five years back it ventured into exclusive retail space with the launch of its first own outlet at Tirupur and consequently it opened stores in Coimbatore, Madurai, Chennai, Salem, Cochin and Bengaluru. After tasting success in the southern states of India, the company decided to expand in other parts of the country through EBOs.