Sexy lingerie was taboo in India for years. This is soon to change, notes Dutch lingerie brand Hunkemöller, which is opening its first shops on the subcontinent this year. "India can become one of our largest markets," according to Eric den Dulk, head international franchise at Hunkemöller.
Photo: Hunkemöller
"We have made a flying start in India," says Eric den Dulk. "The first shops that are now open - in Delhi, Gurgaon and Bangalore - are all doing better than expected. I honestly didn't expect our brand, which is completely new in India, to be picked up by the target audience so quickly."
Initially, Hunkemöller wanted to open 40 shops in India in the next five years, but the company is likely to exceed that by a good margin. This year alone, the Dutch lingerie brand is already opening its doors in ten locations.
The rapid growth has everything to do with the cooperation with franchise partner Reliance. Reliance, one of India's largest companies, previously brought fashion chains Steve Madden, Diesel, Quiksilver, Roxy and Superdry to India. Den Dulk: "Reliance is a good, reliable partner. They have an incredibly professional and thorough approach: they have set up a 12-strong team to roll out Hunkemöller there. In Europe, you don't get that anywhere."
Hunkemöller had its first contact with Reliance in 2007. Den Dulk: "That fell silent for a while due to changes within us, but in 2014 we picked up the contact again. In early 2015, I travelled to India with our COO. Also, people from Reliance have been here several times. By showing them our shops and our approach, they became convinced."
Hunkemöller team India
While e-commerce is growing rapidly in India, Hunkemöller lingerie is not yet available online in India. Den Dulk: "We are working hard on that. A good online sales channel is crucial, especially in India, because the number of good retail locations is limited. In addition, online shopping is popular because shopping centres are not easily accessible for everyone, given the size of cities and the endless traffic jams."
The wishes of Indian women do not differ as much as expected from the European target group. Den Dulk: "We had our doubts whether Indian women would feel comfortable asking shop staff for advice about the fit and sizes, but that does not seem to be an obstacle at all. However, Indian women tend to buy single bras rather than sets. That's a great challenge for us.
Den Dulk thinks India can become one of Hunkemöller's biggest markets. "The market is huge and the purchasing power is rising fast. As the competition is not very strong yet, we could well become the market leader."