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Sara Lee Corp to go solo in Indian apparel venture

E-Tex Staff - Mumbai

Chicago-based diversified multinational Sara Lee Corporation plans to foray into the apparel market in India, after its success in the household insecticides and bodycare businesses. The company prefers to go solo rather than enter into a joint venture.

According to Sara Lee branded apparel chief operating officer (global sourcing & Asian business development), Mr Shishir C Babu, “Sara Lee’s strategy is to feed, clothe and care for consumers and their families the world over. As part of our Asian development plan, we are aggressively looking at entering countries like India and China. We believe there is tremendous growth opportunities in these two countries. However, due to the vastness of these countries, we do not plan to enter into any licensing arrangement. Instead, we are in discussions with key consultant groups for chalking out the plan to set up our apparel business in India. We will initially go in for sourcing here and then look at the possibility of manufacturing. We will also be looking at India as a sourcing hub for our products in the US market.”

Added Mr Babu, “We focus our efforts on building leadership brands in three global businesses, which include food and beverage, intimates and innerwear, and household products. Our joint venture Godrej Sare Lee India has become a success story for our home care business. Now, we plan to capitalise our strength in the Indian market with apparel. Gradually, we will move towards the food business.” Godrej Sara Lee is a joint venture company between the Godrej group and Sara Lee Corporation, USA. It is the world’s largest manufacturer of home insecticides. The company holds a substantial market share in the domestic market, with some of the most popular brands like GoodKnight, Jet, Hit and Banish, which have become generic with mosquito repellants today. Said Mr Babu, “Sara Lee Corporation builds and maintains leadership positions through innovation and responsiveness. Some of our brand names are centuries old, others a few decades and some are brand-new. Many of our brands are leaders in their respective categories. As part of our maiden foray into the Indian market, we plan to initially launch Playtex and Hanes in the intimate apparel category and Champion in the sports care segment.”