Union Knopf (India)

IndustryONtheMOVE
Top Distributor of North India
shares Ups & Downs of Industry
In conversation with Amit Luthra
Amit Luthra, a New Delhi based distributor
who has experience in apparel industry
for more than a decade shared interesting
aspects about his journey in the industry
so far. He also shared intricacies about the
current situation of apparel retail industry
in India.
Amit Luthra, Amit Enterprises
A&F: Please share your journey in
the industry so far?
Amit Luthra: I started my journey with
Stencil apparels in the year 1990, the
company was the one which
revolutionized the readymade garments
industry. I was there for about three
years and was taking care of marketing. I
handled production, merchandising and
co- ordination as well. After Stencil
Apparel I joined Lee Cooper when it was
launched in India. At Lee Cooper I was
heading Marketing for North India. Then
in 1994 I started my own company.
A&F: What ie product range that
you offer and which are the brands
you are associated with?
Amit Luthra: I have been associated
with all Mumbai based companies. I
believe that it is better to deal with
companies in Mumbai as they have more
professional attitude and the interference
is also less. I am distributing eight
products, in men’s category, I am doing
BB, Status Quo t-shirts, Caprice trousers,
in ladies I am dealing with Recap, Active
sports, Coolneck shirts, PNB Kurtis etc.
A&F: Which are the areas you are
have your network?
Amit Luthra: I mainly cover Delhi,
NCR. Main clients include Chunmun,
Madaan stores, Paul garments and Top
shop. I feel that the market has
transformed immensely in the recent
years, a big share of business has
already gone to the malls, online
companies and international brands.
Our market share has got sliced as
buying pattern too has change. These
days very few people go to MBO’s as
mostly people prefer buying from
malls and online portals.
A&F: Where do you see the
apparel retail industry in the next
five years?
Amit Luthra: In men’s wear
category, many established brands are
offering a lot of services like stocks are
saleable on return basis. In fact, these
brands have taken shelves at almost all
premium retail stores in men’ wear
segment. They not only give services
but also ensure good footfall at the
stores. The customers’ come to these
stores due to branding and promotions
of these brands. Also, in men’s wear
category I can say that the growth
trajectory is moving towards big
brands and companies. Women’s wear
segment is much better as there is
more scope for small retailers and
upcoming players.
A&F: How do you view
demonetisation and its impact on
the industry?
Amit Luthra: So far the impact was less
mainly because November and December
were wedding seasons and shopping is
mandatory for families engaged in
celebration. However, the effects of
demonetisation will definitely come by
mid- January and February as that will be
the time when the clearance of stock will
become an issue. This will also result in
early sales. Winter wear purchase is
something that can also be deferred to the
next season.
A&F: What type of challenges exists
for distributors in this segment?
Amit Luthra: Earlier we were doing
business by heart i.e deals were done on
the basis of mutual trust, but now we
have to be very careful as payment
structure is quite bad. People are not able
to pay as they are not having control on
expenses. Rentals are very high whereas
sales are coming down; the gap between
supply, demand and expenses is
increasing so much that people who
opened new branches/outlets to expand
have failed miserably. I feel that new
distributors entering the market will have
a hard time in surviving.
48
January 2017
APPAREL&Fashion