Mahindra Group (M&M), the makers of the SUV Scorpio, has made a first-of-its-kind foray into lifestyle retailing with the launch of a premium lifestyle brand christened ‘S’ – Nothing Else Will Do. Inspired by its superbrand Scorpio, the merchandise mix includes polo neck and round neck t-shirts, coffee tumblers, key chains, caps and miniature Scorpio model toy cars. With this, M&M has become the first Indian brand in the four-wheeler segment to enter lifestyle retailing.
“Brand extension using accessories has been a model successfully followed by global automotive majors owning premium and cult brands. M&M is pioneering this challenging but innovative international strategy in the Indian four-wheeler market to satisfy the demand of a rising number of customers who want to be associated with the brand,” a company spokesperson told Indiaretailing.
Interestingly, the brand S is not targeted at Scorpio owners alone. “No, we are not targeting Scorpio owners alone; anybody who is style-conscious can buy the S brand from Scorpio dealers across the country,” the spokesperson added. Initially, the S brand will be retailed through Scorpio dealers across the country.
According to sources, the company also plans to induct other product lines, which include apparel and footwear under the brand ‘S’. Enquired about further brand extensions, the spokesperson informed: “I am not declining that, we are keenly interested in the current retail market and S may offer everything from apparel to accessories and footwear in the future.”
It is learnt that the company’s pilot foray into lifestyle retailing is a beginning, which is intended towards learning the retail tricks, and a lot more are on the anvil. “The company is even looking at opening exclusive stores at a different point of time – after making S successful,” according to sources. M&M has also appointed retail professionals to look after the new lifestyle business.
The design and quality of each of the products under the S brand has been benchmarked against international products of their respective genres. The collection has been designed by Mahindra Intertrade, which is the retail consultant for the project. It has distribution tie-ups with brands like Walt Disney, Lego and other apparel brands.
The Scorpio recently entered the portals of ‘Olympic’ brand category. “An Olympic brand is one that is ‘well known, well loved and has a large core following’ “, the spokesperson concluded.
– Vishnu Rageev R, Bangalore Bureau
