The estimated Rs 6,000 crore sportswear market in India, which consists of prominent brands such as Nike, Adidas and Puma among others, has a new home-grown entrant.
Co-founded by tennis player Mahesh Bhupathi and investor and entrepreneur Hemchandra Javeri, Zeven is a multi-sport, multi-product and multi-channel brand that is looking to revolutionise sports in India. More importantly, the home-grown brand aims to propel Indians to go out and play a sport.
The Zeven portal–launched in September 2015–offers trending news and products on sports ranging from cricket, football, running tennis and many more. One of the most interesting inclusions is the sport of speedwalking. “I think, over 85% of Indians walk and don’t run. So, one of the things we have inculcated into our brand is the speedwalk category, which is unique. Everyone has a running category, but we have a speedwalk category too,” said Bhupathi. One of the most dominant doubles players in tennis, Bhupathi added there were a lot of aspiring athletes out there who often struggle to find authentic sports apparel in the Indian market.
The Zeven portal also includes tools which, as Javeri explains, will inspire the users to go and play a sport. One such tool on the portal is the ‘Arena’ section that lists places and sports facilities where one can go and play. The arena feature amplifies all the listed facilities. Once a user logs in to the portal and completes the registration process, they can add themselves to the ‘want to play’ category, which allows them to fix up and play with another player in the same facility. “We want to build a sports community in the country where people can play, discuss and live sports… There are also a lot of important people and staff, such as coaches, paramedics, that are often forgotten. We want them to be a part of the Zeven ecosystem as well,” Javeri said.
Zeven products will be made available across various channels–digital, stores, organised & modern retail and speciality stores. Javeri said the brand will be led through digital media, but a lot of focus will also be on Zeven’s own stores, which will be called ‘sports addas’.
The sportswear market in India has always been a hotly contested category. According to a recent report titled ‘Sportswear Market in India 2015’, by retail consulting firm IMAGES F&R Research, the active sportswear market in India was estimated at R6,000 crore. Apart from the likes of Nike, Adidas and Puma, some reports suggested the second largest sportswear brand in America, Under Armour, was also planning to enter India.
In order to make sure the brand appeals to the Indian consumer, Zeven has a host of stars on board, including boxer Mary Kom, actor Lara Dutta, cricketer Shikhar Dhawan and tennis player Rohan Bopanna among others.
Both Javeri and Bhupathi emphasised on the fact that a lot of thorough research and trials were conducted to ensure the products were perfectly suited for Indian conditions. “Zeven is a multi-faceted, multi-offering brand. And we have designed products meant for the Indian terrain and conditions. That too, at a price which gives them amazing value,” said Javeri. “We are not a lifestyle brand… we are a brand which will help you play better,” he added.