Vi-Ga, the footwear brand from Noida-based Mahtani Fashions, has appointed BD Nathani as their new chief operating officer. Nathani is a footwear industry veteran, who has been instrumental in positioning leading brands including Woodland, Adidas, Liberty, Crocs, Lotto and Disney in the country.
Nathani confirmed his appointment to Indiaretailing and also shared future plans of his new employer.
Vi-Ga, under Nathani’s leadership, has planned to invest Rs 8-10 crore to add around 15 to 25 additional stores by 2009-10. Nathani said, “On the cards are both company-owned and franchise outlets. The company-owned outlets will be opened in state capitals and metros, while the franchise route will be taken for tier II openings.”
Sharing details about the destined openings, Nathani said that the company-owned outlets will come up in cities that include Mumbai, Pune and Ahmedabad in western India, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai in the southern India, and Kolkata in eastern India. The franchise stores will be in cities including Patna, Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Guwahati and Imphal. Presently, the company operates 15 outlets in North India.
To boost sales, the company has decided to focus on new schemes that include advertisements and in-store merchandising. According to Nathani, the brand’s new advertising campaign, focusing on its new collections, will be introduced in September. The brand’s primary promotional mediums are print ads, outdoor publicity, and below-the-line activities.
– Ranjan Kaplish
