Wildcraft to open 40 retail stores this year, expand into Tier 2 and 3 cities

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
Nov 14, 2017

The outdoor clothing and accessories brand, Wildcraft, is pushing to open 40 more brick and mortar stores this financial year, as it aims to expand its presence in the North and in non-metro areas.

“We intend on adding 40 new retail stores every year. We are aiming to be present in Tier II and III markets to ensure travellers have access to our products,” said Wildcraft’s Co-Founder, Gaurav Dublish. “North India, Delhi, [and] Uttar Pradesh, is a big market considering we are in apparel and footwear. Since we are a brand based in the South, we have not tapped the potential in the northern area, which has great purchasing power,” he elaborated.

The reason for the brand’s push to expand their northern and non-metro presence is to meet their profit targets. Dublish said, “We intend on doubling sales to Rs 1,000 crore [approximately 150 million dollars] in the next three years. We will be investing around Rs 350 crore [approximately 53 million dollars] by 2020 for expansion and marketing.”

This will be a major expansion for the brand that started with an investment of just several lakh rupees. The brand will also be increasing its product categories and launch an “adventure gear” line early next year, according to Dublish.

Wildcraft was launched in Bengaluru and the brand now has a manufacturing unit in both Bengaluru and Himachal Pradesh. There are currently 160 stores in 65 cities, some of which are non-metro. The brand is also available in 11 other countries including in Nepal. The brand also retails from multi-brand e-commerce stores such as Myntra and Amazon with online sales accounting for 15 percent of the brand’s total revenue.