American clothing brand Aeropostale plans to enter the fast growing Indian market through a licensee agreement with Arvind Lifestyle Brands that will open its first outlet in the country in March next year. The New York-based brand, also popularly called Aero, will open 30 stores and 25 shop in-shops over the next three years as well as an e-commerce portal. Aero, Abercrombie & Fitch and American Eagle, also known as the ‘3As’ in the United States, are known in their home market for jeans, hoodies and T-shirts mostly for teenagers.
“We are thrilled to bring the Aeropostale brand into India as we continue to expand our international presence aggressively. India is a truly exciting retail market, driven by its growing economy and vibrant youth culture,” Julian R Geiger, CEO of Aeropostale said.
“Aeropostale will be the first of its kind youth-focused retail format in India. With 40 per cent of India’s population below the age of 20, we expect Aeropostale to be hugely popular and successful,” J Suresh, managing director of Arvind Lifestyle Brands said. The brand runs more than 800 stores in India across a portfolio of 31 brands including Gap, Calvin Klein, US Polo, Arrow and Tommy Hilfiger.
Experts said Aeropostale should do well given a large consumer base of 500 million Indians under the age group of 25 and their increasing propensity to spend on fashion.
