Red Tape, part of the Rs 300-crore Mirza International, will open 16 more exclusive outlets by December this year.
The expansion will focus on increasing the brand’s reach within the cities in which it is present now and will not look at new cities, Shuja Mirza, VP (marketing), Red Tape, told Indiaretailing. He added that 100 more outlets will be set up in these cities in the second phase of expansion at a later stage. Red Tape has 34 stores across 20 cities; besides, it also has a presence in over 1,000 multi-brand outlets in various SEC A, B and C cities.
Mirza said the focus for the near future will be on apparel. Red Tape, primarily into men’s footwear, launched men’s casualwear last year and women’s footwear this year. The company will expand its apparel range by adding more stock-keeping units (SKUs). Right now, it has shirts, t-shirts and denims, as well as accessories such as belts and wallets outsourced from various vendors. Red Tape shoes fall into the premium segment, priced above Rs 2,000, and so does its apparel, where a pair of jeans or a shirt is priced from Rs 1,000.
Red Tape is also working on a new marketing campaign with its brand ambassador – actor Salman Khan. “The brand will look much younger,” Mirza said, adding that the campaign will be restricted to print and outdoor. Actor Kangana Ranaut is the brand ambassador for the women’s range of footwear.
– Vishnu Rageev R, Bangalore Bureau
