GHCL to foray into retail with its own home textiles brand again

GHCL, home textiles player is planning to foray into retail again with its own brand and plans to launch the brand by early to mid next fiscal. It has begun market feasibility study for the same as it had faced a debacle of its previous premium made-ups brand Rosebys.

R S Jalan, managing director of GHCL said that they have plans in place to gradually build their own brands in the domestic market; thereby creating a niche place for GHCL products.

While work on the private retail brand for home decor and lifestyle products is still on drawing board, plans are afoot to launch it by early to mid next fiscal.

For now, the company already has a tie-up with Perry Ellis International, Inc. for the brand Laundry by Shellie Seigal for bedding products which include flat sheets, sheet sets, duvet covers and coordinating shams for customers in USA and Canada under the Laundry by Shelli Segal brand.

However, the private brand by GHCL will be targeted at domestic market and is likely to be pitched against other home textiles brands like Bombay Dyeing and Welspun.

Earlier, GHCL had acquired the UK brand Rosebys in 2006 for $40 million but had to later shut down the venture. Through Rosebys, GHCL had attempted at targeting the organised home textiles retail, which it now intends to do through its own brand.

The total turnover of GHCL for 2014-15 was around Rs 2,400 crore, which it anticipates to peg at around Rs 2,500 crore for 2015-16. Of the total turnover of GHCL, the textile segment contributes around 40 percent.

The Textile division at GHCL is a vertically integrated manufacturing facility with spinning, wide width weaving, continuous fabric processing and cut & sew facilities for manufacturing premium quality bed linen. GHCL’s spinning unit is located near Madurai in Tamil Nadu while its Home Textiles manufacturing is located near Vapi in Gujarat.