India’s Page Industries (PAGE.NS), opens new tab is scouting sites for a new plant likely costing up to 3 billion rupees ($31.67 million), stepping up manufacturing and retail expansion to meet growing demand for branded apparel, a company executive told Reuters.
“The Indian licensee of the Jockey brand is considering locations in Karnataka, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Telangana states for the proposed plant, which could take 12 to 18 months to build. That is in the blueprint stage, we plans to start operations at two “satellite” facilities near its existing large plants in Odisha and Karnataka early in the next financial year said Managing Director V. S. Ganesh.”
The expansion comes as Page expects to add roughly 125 to 150 stores annually over at least the next four to five years, targeting growing demand for branded clothing. Page is also seeing a growing share of sales move online, with digital channels accounting for about 16% to 17% of business.
“Even as Page expands, rising costs pose a challenge. With the Middle East war fuelling inflation, Page is looking to improve productivity, streamline sourcing and manufacturing, and make its supply chain more efficient rather than passing the entire burden on to consumers. If this is going to continue long-term, we may have to have some calibrated price interventions,” Ganesh said.
