Soon after premium international brand Tommy Hilfiger tied up with Creative Portico India, a Mumbai-based home textiles company, to sell its home textiles and furnishings range in the country in June 2007, Creative Portico is now charting out new retailing plans for Tommy Hilfiger premium home furnishings brand in India.

As part of the plan, Creative Portico is now planning to set up 50 exclusive Tommy Hilfiger outlets in India. Prior to the move, Creative Portico is also planning to set up 50 Portico New York exclusive outlets of home furnishing in the country. The company intends to use these outlets to sell Tommy Hilfiger furnishings as well, Chandan S, general manager-retail, Creative Portico India, told FE.

The home textiles market is currently dominated by Indian companies such as Bombay Dyeing, Portico and Welspun. According to Chandan, ?Our exclusive branded outlets will have an area size of 1,500 sq ft each. We are also currently talking to retail majors such as Reliance Retail, Bharti Retail and Aditya Birla Retail in order to retail ?Portico New York? branded home furnishings from their outlets.? Since Tommy Hilfiger home furnishings are being sold at a price which is much higher as compared to ?Portico New York?, Creative Portico does not plan to sell Tommy Hilfiger branded products through upcoming big retail chains.?

Creative Portico, which has signed a three-year licence agreement with Tommy Hilfiger, the international brand, will increase sourcing the products from Tommy Hilfiger?s manufacturing units across the world to cater to its new retailing plans for Tommy Hilfiger. According to industry experts, India still needs expertise in quality block printing which can match international standards. ?This is the main reason why we are not looking at setting up printing facilities for premium home furnishing brands. However, since the luxury branded products market is growing, we have chosen the design and style of products keeping in mind the taste of the Indian consumers.? Currently, Portico New York branded home furnishing is retailed through 600 multi format retail outlets, 150 shop-in-shops and Tommy Hilfiger is being retailed through the company?s existing marketing route.