Blackberrys looking at acquisition route to expand market reach

Premium apparel brand Blackberrys, owned by Mohan Clothing Company Pvt Ltd, is looking at acquisitions to further push its growth plans and widen its portfolio, Blackberrys Vice-President — Marketing and Sales Yogesh Tiwari said.

“We are likely to go in for inorganic growth by acquiring companies. We have roped in a couple  of research firms to scout for potential acquisition targets,” he said.

The company is currently expanding its pan-India footprint by opening more company-owned large and small format stores. 

Blackberrys presently has large format stores with a size of 4,000-8,000 square feet. “We have already established 10 stores in Tier 1 cities across India and plan to add up to three more. Our company-owned and operated showrooms are 2,000 square feet each. We currently run 200 of them and will add 30 more in the current fiscal,” he said.

Value curve

On the revenues front, he said, “The company had Rs 750 crore by way of revenues in the last fiscal and by the end of the current fiscal we will reach around Rs 1,000 crore.”Blackberrys makes 60 per cent of its merchandise inhouse while the rest is manufactured by channel partners. 

The Blackberrys brand has also unveiled its Urban line for the upcoming autumn-winter season. 

“We want to stay ahead of the value curve with new products which will cater to the demands of fashion conscious urban youth, not with the usual sports line. Our products in this segment are clean washed line cloth,”s aid Tiwari.

Besides its presence in dress lines like trousers, khakis, shirts, suits and jackets, Blackberrys also brings out accessories like belts, wallets, ties and socks.

The Gurgaon-based company started its operations in 1991 and went in for a rebranding exercise in 2005,

Talking about the company’s strategy for the current fiscal, he said Blackberrys will focus Indian market only. 

“We have enough opportunities in the Indian market and do not want to venture into exports. We will think of exporting to markets in the regions like SAARC, APAC and Gulf once we stabilise in the Indian market,” he said.