Sportswear major Adidas has launched Adidas Originals, the company’s premium lifestyle brand.
The first Adidas Originals outlet opened in the capital yesterday, while six more standalone stores are expected to open in the metros. The exclusive store will provide consumers with a range of products across footwear, apparel and accessories.
“Adidas Originals is a premium category and is not part of the present sports performance products available in the country. We saw a vacuum in this segment here and brought Originals, from which we are expecting at least five per cent share of the total sales in the first year of launch,” Andreas Gellner, managing director, Adidas India, told Indiaretailing.
The store presents the Adidas Originals Fall/Winter 2007 collection in the international Sport Heritage Lifestyle (SHL) format. The interiors are in blue highlights. The collection comprises five key ranges including Ali by Adidas, Respect M E by Missy Elliot, Porsche Design, Freizeit and Urban/Core. The collections fall in the price range of Rs 1,600-10,000.
When asked about further expansion of the product portfolio, Gellner said, “The company will launch its women’s range Stella McCartney next year in India. We are also considering the Y-3 collection by Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto. The launch depends on the designer’s choice.”
Revealing retail expansion plans, Gellner said, “We are aiming to be the number one sports goods brand in India by 2010. Our retail expansion plans include adding over 100 stores every year.”
Celebrities Nikhil Chinapa, Nina Manuel and Rosa Catalano became Adidas Originals’ first consumers in India.
Represented by the Trefoil logo, the Originals collection is part of Adidas’ Sports Style division and represents a fusion of sport authenticity and global street style.