Columbia Sportswear Company connects active people with their passions through its portfolio of well-known brands, making it a global leader in outdoor, active and everyday lifestyle apparel, footwear, accessories, and equipment products. In India, Chogori India Retail Limited (CIRL) is the prime distributor for Columbia Sportswear, primarily focusing on outdoor market and growing demand for hiking and trekking. CIRL CEO Ankur Bhatia speaks to Fibre2Fashion about the sportswear market and the brands expansion in India.
How big is the global outerwear and sportswear retail market? What is India’s share?
The global sportswear market is projected to grow from $170.94 billion in 2021 to $267.61 billion in 2028 at a CAGR of 6.6 per cent in forecast period, 2021-2028. Global Outdoor Clothing market size is estimated to be worth $11.77 billion in 2022 In India, while outdoor clothing and equipment market currently stands at $500 million.
Globally, which segment in the outerwear and the sportswear category is sold the most? What is the major reason behind that?
The most sold category is apparel, but in terms of product type, footwear is the biggest contributor. When you are in the outdoors, your feet need most of the protection especially when you are hiking or trekking. When the terrain is tough, it is imperative that you have a good pair of shoes to save you from nature’s onslaught.
What are your major sourcing destinations for outerwear, sportswear, and footwear?
Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia and Bangladesh. Sourcing from India is now increasing as the business here is growing, especially in apparel and some footwear. Our focus is to source more and more from India in line with the ‘Make in India’ initiative.
Your company retails its products under 4 brands—Columbia, SOREL, Mountain Hardwear, and prAna. What is the USP of each of these?
In India, Chogori India Retail Limited (CIRL) is the prime distributor for Columbia Sportswear, primarily focusing on outdoor market and growing demand for hiking and trekking in India. SOREL, Mountain Hardwear, and prAna are not sold in India as of now, though we plan to introduce Mountain Hardwear very soon.
Columbia is known for designing innovative products including the first Bugaboo parka for alpine skiers. How big is the design team and what are they currently working on?
Designing innovative and tech-led products is the main focus area for the brand. Each season, the design team, which is based out of the US, works on enhancing the existing technologies while introducing new innovations.
For instance, we introduced Omni Heat Infinity which is our most advanced thermal reflective tech till date; it comes with an expanded pattern of gold dots that reflects more of your body heat. Our technologies in Columbia, for instance, revolve around four design philosophies – Warm, Dry, Cool, Protected. Every year, incremental innovations happen in each of these.
What initiatives has your organisation taken to protect the planet and the environment?
Through breakthrough product design and sustainable manufacturing practices, we are creating new ways to reduce our impact on the environment. We explore ways to design products efficiently so that they require fewer raw material components, use less water and energy to manufacture and are safer for the environment.
For example, all our Down insulated products are certified to the Responsible Down Standards (RDS) by Control Union and our OutdDry extreme ECO collection (waterproof-breathable rainwear) is made with no intentionally added PFCs.
How do you ensure that your supply chain is making sustainable products?
Sustainability is not just a buzz word which we have caught on to, but our products live the essence of sustainability – from sourcing to selling. Interestingly, we will be one of the few retailers which emphasise on repairing products (like in Deuter) rather than buying new ones. Even our marketing strategy revolves around tree plantation drives and environmental protection.
In which year did Columbia Sportswear make its entry into the Indian market? What is the growth story?
Columbia Sportswear was launched in India in the year 2015 by Chogori India Retail Limted (CIRL). Since then, the brand is now available across 26 retail stores, a fully functional owned e-commerce site, sold at various marketplaces such as Amazon, Myntra, Tata Cliq and through distribution model with third party retailers. Our growth is not just about opening stores and expanding digitally, it’s about creating an outdoor culture which will have long lasting impact on how and why people travel.
How would you rate India as a potential market to build on?
With each passing year, lots of Indians have discovered the joys of being in the mountains and the outdoors as a whole. Activities like trekking, hiking, mountaineering and rock climbing are at the forefront and it’s quite pleasing to watch as this interest has led to these sports being considered more than just hobbies.
While the interest in these mountain sports is increasing, the gap lies in lack of knowledge about the right equipment and clothing required to face the unexpected/challenging landscapes and weather conditions. Here lies the opportunity and hence our focus. We aim to introduce to Indian consumers, gear which is trusted worldwide, by professional athletes, photographers and explorers alike, all under one roof.
What is your India expansion plans?
Our plan is to open one store each month in tier 1 and 2 cities. We are also expanding through digital routes with a dedicated online portal for outdoor related products. We were one of the few companies which was expanding even during COVID times last financial year, and now we see real possibility in gaining further momentum. We are growing all brands in our portfolio – Columbia Sportswear (apparel, footwear and accessories), Deuter (backpacks and accessories), BUFF (neckwear), BEAL (climbing and mountaineering equipment), and Julbo (sports eyewear). Each brand caters to its unique audience.
Published on: 06/05/2022
DISCLAIMER: All views and opinions expressed in this column are solely of the interviewee, and they do not reflect in any way the opinion of Fibre2Fashion.com.
