Raymond closing its designer wear brand Be:, planning a brand repositioning exercise

Mumbai: Raymond Ltd has decided to withdraw its designer wear Be: brand with the intention of repositioning it sans the exclusivity.

Be: has 13 stores, with a store each in Ahmedabad, Ludhiana, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, two each in Bangalore, Mumbai and three in Delhi.

According to sources, the company is re-evaluating the brand, and its associations with designers, in light of shedding the "exclusive" image, and has already shut down its stores across Mumbai and Delhi.

The company will reportedly undertake a brand repositioning exercise that will see it take on a much larger scale across the country, appealing to a different target audience.

In its present avatar, Be: appeals to a niche segment, offering a wide range of apparel and accessories for women across categories namely women''s western wear, women''s ethnic wear, lounge wear and club wear.

The brand''s repositioning exercise will reportedly see it climb down a few notches in price and target audience, but will not dilute itself to a mass brand. It will also evaluate its associations with designers as part of the repositioning.

Launched in 2001, Be: was Raymond''s first prêt-a- porter line of designer clothing, with a plan for almost 50 boutiques across six cities in India, and one in Dubai. The line had apparel and accessories from designers such as Priyadarshini Rao, Raghavendra Rathore, Rohit Bal and Rajesh Pratap Singh, ranging between the price points of Rs600 to Rs6,000.