Page 28 - RLI September 2019

One Brand, One Instantly recognisable by its green crocodile logo, Lacoste is a French company

founded in 1933 by tennis player René Lacoste and André Gillier that sells clothing,
Team, One Voice footwear, leather goods, underwear, perfumes, eyewear, watches and home linen.

Here, RLI sits down with Rajesh Jain, Managing Director and CEO of Lacoste India
to find out how the brand has developed and grown in recent years.

lacoste linKinG Road
Mumbai, india

lacoste Mall of india lacoste vR Mall
noida, india chennai, india

he iconic Lacoste brand has been built on a The brand has recently launched two new boutiques brand visibility on their online space
love for the game, a passion for innovation and in the country, one at VR Mall Chennai and the second at and also to drive traffic to their “Over the last quarter of a century,
a certain French elegance. Since 1933, the story Viviana Mall in Thane, Mumbai. Apart from brick-and-mortar digital flagship store. Lacoste in India has evolved from
Tof Lacoste has mirrored that of its founder, René boutiques, they have also recently launched Lacoste products Speaking about what keeps
Lacoste, the French tennis legend who revolutionised the on the premium e-commerce website, luxury.tatacliq.com. people buying the brand’s products, a polo centric brand to a complete
everyday wardrobe. Moving forward, plans are in place to open 3-4 new points Jain replies saying: “Taking customer lifestyle brand whose perception
After 86 years of innovation, the brand now has 1,200 points of sale in the coming months, and the idea for these stores, as delight as our top priority, we take
of sale and sells to 120 countries, with over 10,000 employees always, is to place them in locations that provide a luxurious our product quality, customer service has further been strengthened as a
making this happen. The brand achieved a turnover of over €2bn environment to the customer and ensure maximum mileage and visual merchandising very premium and unique brand for all
euros in 2017 and two Lacoste products are sold every second. from the marketing mix. seriously. A very important part of
The company has been operating in India since 1993 and To maintain its market position over so many years, our overall scheme of things is to ages and genders”
has now expanded its footprint to 52 points of sale which Lacoste continues to develop new products, take various ensure consistency, so that whether a
include the digital flagship and three online market places initiatives and remains true to its brand DNA. customer shops in India or Paris or China or the US, he would
through Licensee Sports and Leisure Apparel Limited. “To keep the people engaged, it is extremely important to get exactly the same environment and the same merchandise.”
“We believe in providing a superlative experience for our keep innovation at the forefront and keep bringing newness Lacoste’s mission is to be a unique, casual luxury brand.
customers and following a ‘Selective Distribution Network’ to your offerings depending upon the changing needs of the This requires a high level of quality and professionalism
policy for the retail expansion, we have successfully reached customers,” explains Jain. within areas such as creation, style, manufacturing and retail.
out to almost every metro and major city of the country Lacoste believes in innovation from the word go and this The products and employees of Lacoste allow clients to live
through brick-and-mortar stores and in other parts of the begins with its products, for which they begin working on a unique experience regardless of the distribution network,
country through our premium online presence,” explains launches more than a year in advance, putting in a lot of physical or digital, anywhere in the world.
Rajesh Jain, Managing Director and CEO of Lacoste India. extensive research and efforts to develop new collections. While customer satisfaction remains the top priority, the
During the last financial year, Lacoste India has achieved New products are launched every one to two months and brand is working towards more premiumisation and it is
high double-digit growth against the previous year and, with as Lacoste believes in trying out new things, they keep on evident in their selection and the look and feel of its stores.
the combination of loyal customers and new additions, collaborating with designers on a global level to ensure the “The biggest challenges that most international premium
Lacoste in India has continued an impressive growth both in customer always has the best quality and variety. brands in India are currently facing are the non-availability
the online world as well as offline. The company has seen traction in terms of increased of premium retail developments at the right cost and terms,
“Over the last quarter of a century, Lacoste in India has customer engagement and sales through its social media discounting by online players and counterfeiting as well as
evolved from a polo centric brand to a complete lifestyle initiatives, particularly since the launch of the website in 2016. the unauthorised sales of products,” says Jain. “However, we
brand whose perception has further been strengthened as a Keeping in sync with the current preference of its customers, remain as committed as ever to delivering a high level of
premium and unique brand for all ages and genders,” says Jain. Lacoste India prioritises digital spend as it helps to enhance quality and professionalism to our customers.”

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28 Retail & leisURe inteRnational OCTOBER 2019