Anurag Narsingh Jhawar, owner, Orange Clothing Company discusses the challenges, promotional strategy and competition in the distribution business.
The Chennai-based Orange Clothing Company is a distributor of readymade garments and sports good. In 1951, Jhawar’s father moved to Chennai from Rajasthan, and established Silk Centre to provide sari and fabrics from various mills of Surat and Mumbai to companies like Mafatlal, Arvind Mills, Piramals and Thakercey. Initially, he joined his father’s business but soon after, to create a niche for himself, he opened Orange Clothing Company. Further in a conversation Jhawar discusses …
Tell us about your company.
Orange Clothing Company was established in 2001 and has successfully been a channel partner for brands like Levi’s Signature, Jockey, Speedo, Wilson, Gini & Jony, UCB Kids, Proline Fitness, Twills, Polar Watches, Maxxport and Lining Shoes for Tamil Nadu, and more.
I also launched my own label, Grease Jeans, in 2012. Grease Jeans is men’s casualwear brand that manufactures denim, trousers and shorts. Priced between Rs999 and Rs1,599, it targets young men in the age group of 30–35 years. The label is rustic, vintage and casual in nature.
What is your product category split?
We deal in fabrics, which is our core business. In the garments segment, we have mens casualwear, kidswear, undergarments, sports goods and accessories.
What are the top selling products in your region?
We have an equal share of sales coming from casualwear. On the other hand’, sports is an entire segment in itself. The same goes for undergarments and kidswear.
Which is your sales territory?
We distribute products in Tamil Nadu and cater to most of the cities. Orange Clothing Company deals with more than 200 retail outlets with the product mix including casualwear, undergarments and kidswear.
What challenges do you face in distribution business and what is your strategy to tackle them?
The challenges are continuously increasing as the number of brands entering the market is growing dramatically. Today, almost every brand is selling merchandise on the e-commerce platform, which is another big challenge. MBOs sell most of the products on MRP. However, the websites offer attractive discounts to buyers. But I believe that after some time the portals will start selling products at full prices to remain profitable.
