Chinese footwear brand Aokang International, which is the official leather goods supplier to the Beijing Olympics, will invest around three billion rupees to set up a chain of retail stores and factories across India.
Confirming this, Anirudh Banerjee, chief executive and managing director of Aokang International’s India operations, said, “We are also coming up with two exclusive flagship stores in south Mumbai by the second week of August.”
The brand is now available at an exclusive showroom at the MGF Metropolitan mall in Saket, and at various malls across Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.
The company had recently opened its first factory in India at Manesar in Gurgaon, with an initial capacity of 200 pairs per day.
“This factory will make products that will match international standards in quality and craftsmanship. Initially, it will produce middle-segment products, and we will import all high-segment material from China. Full-fledged production will be transferred to India by 2010,” Banerjee said.
