Coach International Group President Ian Bickley talks about why they waited to enter the Indian market and how they see it as one with long-term potential.
Ian Bickley, president, international group at luxury leather brand Coach, first visited India about five years ago. “I remember I had come in a few years after the boom, when a lot of foreign brands had entered the country. We studied the market, but we decided to wait for the right opportunity,” he tells Forbes India. He says while there were a few malls catering to luxury brands, they didn’t have enough footfall.
Bickley, 53, visited India again about two years ago at the insistence of its now-India partner Genesis Luxury, which represents luxury fashion labels such as Jimmy Choo, Michael Kors and Paul Smith. “Today, luxury brands have started attracting more commercial traffic,” he says, adding that Coach sees India as a market with long-term potential. Coach launched in the country in Mumbai last year when back home, it was celebrating its 75th anniversary. Late last month, it opened its second store in India, in Delhi. “For us, the main question was also if the brand was ready. Since Coach had been going through a transformation over the last three years, we first wanted to get some clarity on our own direction,” says Bickley. Edited excerpts:
Q How do you view the luxury market in India? Do you think prestige and masstige brands are preferred here rather than pure luxury brands?
Denne historien er fra June 9, 2017-utgaven av Forbes India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra June 9, 2017-utgaven av Forbes India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Home-Cooked Meal Is Now Greatly Valued
The pandemic has also brought with it an improved focus on hygiene, use of technology in dining, rise of cloud kitchens and resurgence in popularity of Indian ingredients
Paytm 3.0 - Reaching Near Breakeven In Two Years
As of 2020, Vijay Shekhar Sharma’s super app for financial services had run up losses in thousands of crores. Now, as digital payments gets yet another boost courtesy Covid-19, he’s hopeful of reaching near breakeven in two years
THE PANDEMIC HAS CAUSED WOMEN GREATER LABOUR PAIN
Covid-19 has shown that women are more likely to face the brunt of job losses than men, and find fewer opportunities when they want to resume. That apart, several have to deal with increased hours of unpaid work at home and even domestic abuse
LEADERSHIP WILL BE ABOUT SEEING THE BIGGER PICTURE
Leaders must not only guard their teams first during a crisis, but also deal with stakeholders with respect and dignity. And apart from pursuing business goals, they should remain committed to our planet and the environment
PHILANTHROPY SHOULD BE HUMBLE, BUT NOT MODEST
Apart from building a flexible and resilient framework for the future, philanthropists, civil society and the government must work in tandem so that every rupee is absorbed on the ground
INTEGRATED HEALTH CARE, TECH WILL DISRUPT SECTOR
While clinical research will get a boost, having a skilled workforce and public spending on health care will be challenges in the near term
DIGITALISATION WILL HELP IN VALUE CREATION
As the pandemic brings technology and innovation to the core of business and daily life, the next decade will see about 150 million digital-first families in India
Industry 4.0: Climate Revolution?
Augmenting sustainability alongside digital capabilities is an economic, competitive and global opportunity for India’s businesses, but regulations need to reflect intent
EV Dream Still Miles Away
Electric vehicles have remained a buzzword in India for years. But not much has moved on ground due to high upfront costs, range anxiety and charging infrastructure
Living Waters
A virus has caused us to scramble for oxygen but our chokehold on the environment is slowly strangling the very waters that breathe life into us. The virus is a timely reminder: We are merely consumers, not producers of life’s breath on this planet
