China’s sports brand Li-Ning has entered the Indian market through a collaboration between Sunlight Sports, Singapore, and Indo Rubber and Plastic Works (Indo Rubber) India. Li-Ning offers sports rackets, footwear, luggage, apparel, and accessories. Founded in 1990 by gymnast and six times Olympic medalist (1984), Li-Ning, the launch will highlight the brand’s badminton apparel and equipment under Li-Ning and Kason brands.
Sunlight Sports and Indo Rubber will offer Li-Ning and Kason’s badminton products across four main categories – footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories.
Speaking on the occasion, Ram Malhotra, Business Head, Li-Ning India, said: “The Indian market is ready for Li-Ning. We believe the strength of the brand lies in its unshakable desire to provide high-quality, innovative sports equipment, apparel, and footwear, which will now be available to consumers across the country. We want the Indian market to view the brand wholly, which promotes the growth of such sports as badminton in India. The brand’s power coupled with Indo Rubber’s extensive distribution network will be integral to achieving this in the country.”
The brand undertakes various sponsorship projects with local badminton and sports academies across India. Mahendar Kapoor, Head of Sunlight Sports, and Sales and Promotions in-charge of Li-Ning, South-East Asia, said: “We want to focus on promoting badminton in India because Li-Ning has such a strong brand presence and association globally with this sport and because of the potential for growth of badminton in India. We currently sponsor eight badminton academies across India including the Nikhil Kanetkar Badminton Academy in Pune and the Regional Sports Centre in Cochin.”
Li-Ning made a debut in the US market earlier this year. In addition to sponsorship projects, the brand also partakes in exchange programmes with the Indian sponsored academies that allow young badminton athletes to visit and get trained in China, Singapore, and Malaysia.
