Major Brands India, a leading retailer for premier international fashion apparel, accessories and beauty brands, has added yet another exciting brand to its portfolio: Bath & Body Works – one of the world’s leading specialty retailers of fragrant products for the body, hands, and home.
The first Bath & Body Works store opened in June in India in New Delhi at Select CityWalk, followed closely by its second store in DLF Mall of India, Noida.
At the launch, Tony Garrison, Senior Vice President, Bath & Body Works International said, “Bath & Body Works is a 25-year-old brand. We opened our first store in the Boston and have grown up to 1,600 stores in the US. About seven years ago, we decided to go international, so we opened first store of Bath & Body Works in Canada and since then there has been no looking back. Today, we are present in 34 countries. Now, India is a next big step for us.”
“Rising awareness of premium personal care products, growing disposable incomes, changes in consumption patterns and lifestyles, promise exciting times for Bath and Body Works in India,” added Renu Karumsi, Associate Vice President, Bath & Body Works International.
The Bath & Body Works Select CityWalk store is spread across approx. 1,300 square feet while the Mall Of India store covers approx. 1,500 square feet area. Both locations present an exciting and new experiential environment that will allow customers to explore an extensive array of fashion fragrances for the bath, body and home.
From fun and flirty scents to sophisticated and exotic fragrances, Bath & Body Works offers a wide range of world-class fragrances to suit every personality and occasion.
Hallmark collections of the brand including the Signature Collection Body Care, Bath and Body Works and White Barn Home Fragrance, Bath and Body Works Hand Soap, Sanitizers and Aromatherapy, will be available at the store.
According to Karumsi, “The Indian stores are 100 percent replica of our stores in global markets. What we do is that we launch with the consistent assortment and then as we learn more about the customer we fill the store accordingly. About 80 percent of our range stays the same globally and rest 20 percent keeps on changing based on preferences.”
“We are very price competitive and we have 1,500 SKUs at Bath & Body Works,” added Tushar Ved, President Major Brands India.
Launched in 1990, the brand’s portfolio today comprises over 200 different private label scents, including the iconic Sweet Pea and Japanese Cherry Blossom, award-winning A Thousand Wishes and soothing Eucalyptus Spearmint as well as seasonal new releases. At Bath & Body Works, customers are invited to sample luxurious lotions, hand soaps, fragrances and more to discover their favourites.
“All our products are made in US and we have something for everybody,” said Garrison.
Karumsi added, “We are eyeing mist and candles to be fastest moving categories.”
Bath & Body Works, which has come to India with expansion plans of Rs 80 crore in the next two years, is looking forward to harness the reach of social media and influencer marketing in order to resonate with today’s millennials who consume news largely via digital platforms and are excited to share new discoveries.
The brand’s immense portfolio and product categories will be presented in dynamic, new age digital formats, with engaging content to not only reach out to users familiar with the brand, but to also engage with and induce experimentation with newer audiences across demographics.
“We have no immediate plans to go online in India. First we want to make connections with the consumers and once the customers experiences and understand the product then it will be easy to go online,” said Karumsi.
Bath & Body Works will be opening its next two stores in Delhi – Ambience Mall Gurugram and Vasant Kunj and then will be heading to Mumbai.
“Our strategy has been to own a market, understand how the model works and then enter the other regions,” revealed Garrison.
After Mumbai, we also plan to open Bath & Body Works stores in the best malls of Bengaluru and Chennai. We are looking to open 50 Bath & Body Works stores in 5 years but we will follow a cluster strategy,” added Ved.
Over the past few years, Major Brands has been instrumental in introducing blockbuster brands to the Indian market like Aldo, Aldo Accessories, Charles & Keith, Inglot, La Senza, Promod, Beverly Hills Polo Club, Call it Spring and New Balance.
“Since 2001, Major Brands has continually introduced a selection of premium brands from across the world, giving Indian shoppers the best of high street in the country. With the launch of Bath & Body Works, the most awaited brand in India, we are sure our customers will love the experience of the line of bath and body products including home fragrances. We are excited to add yet another international category leader to our portfolio. The market size of India’s beauty, cosmetic and grooming market is expected to reach US $20 billion by 2025 from the current US $6.5 billion. A rising aspiration among Indians to look better, groomed to feel good has led to this market’s rapid growth of more than 42 percent in the last five years,” said Ved.
In keeping with international formats, the Bath & Body Works stores in India will showcase latest trends as well as the newest, freshest fragrances for body, hand, and home, giving consumers exciting, luxurious, and indulgent new experiences.
