Trouser Town: cut to fit

And their answer to every man's trouser requirement -- casual, formal, sporty, big, small, narrow, wide, odd-sized, durable, wrinkle-free, dark, light, what have you -- is Trouser Town, the chain of exclusive showrooms dedicated to men''s trousers.

Madura Garments, formerly a Coats Viyella company and now the apparels division of Indian Rayon, opened one more Trouser Town showroom in Pune. This makes it the sixth in the country, since the first store opened in Chennai in April 2000.

The Trouser Town stores, stocking all Madura Garments trouser brands -- Allen Solly, Van Heusen, Louis Philippe, San Frisco, Spiritus and Allen Solly Outdoors -- aims at offering readymade trousers in all ranges and all fits.

"While men have moved from tailor-made shirts to readymade shirts far more easily, they have not moved to readymade trousers that easily. The issue was of fit. The perception was that only tailor-made trousers would fit well. At Trouser Town we are out to dispel that myth," says Mr. Prakash Nedungadi, president, Madura Garments.

"Trouser Town will provide consumers the convenience of buying readymade trousers with tailor-made fit and style," says Mr Nedungadi, for which over 5,000 trousers have been stocked in each store, in 30 colours, 17 fabric options (from terrywool to tussar), seven fits, special washes including peach and wrinkle-free, and a range of waist sizes that are both standard and odd. Prices range from Rs 495 to Rs 1,395.

Madura Garments plan to open many more of such stores 'in as many cities as possible,' says Mr Nedungadi. "It is part of our business strategy." Ten stores are planned by the end of March 2001, to be doubled by the end of next year.

Madura Garments operates in the premium (Rs 800+) and in the mid-price (Rs 500+) range of readymade menswear. Its efforts at creating new brands and promoting new concepts (such as Trouser Town) will, it believes, take its present 16 per cent market share in the premium range to 20 per cent, and in the mid-price range from six per cent to nine-to-10 per cent by March 2001. "Our aim is not just to increase market share, but also expand the market," says Mr. Nedungadi. For which, setting up Trouser Town stores is just one of the strategies.

The company, which has its research and design studio headed by UK designer, Stephen King, at Bangalore, has dedicated production units including special washing and wrinkle-free finishing facilities to make one million trousers and five million shirts a year, across all brands.

Madura Garments, which accounted for Rs 248 crore sales last fiscal, expects to make Rs 325 crore at the end of this year. The company had already shown a 41 per cent growth over last year during the first half of the current year.