Walmart-backed Flipkart Group announced that it has inked a pact with New York-headquartered Authentic Brands Group (ABG) for licensing and distributing apparel brand Nautica in India.
The rights were earlier with Arvind Fashion, which holds the brands and retailing businesses of the US $ 1.7-billion denim giant Arvind.
As a part of the agreement, Flipkart Group will manage Nautica’s online and offline business, through a network of franchise partners, helping to strengthen the brand and its business in India, a statement confirmed.
This is Flipkart’s third such partnership besides Mango and Espirit. It has also tied up with Dorothy Perkins and H&M for the brands’ online sales.
The specialty teams at Flipkart Group will bring their expertise into design, product development, merchandising and more to address unique consumer demands of the market, the statement said. “The integrated approach across channels will lead to a refined shopping experience and bring industry-first practices including Endless Aisle, a technology solution that allows shoppers to virtually browse additional product offerings and self-checkout capabilities for convenience to Nautica stores,” it added.
Nautica will be the first global brand of such size and scale to be managed by Flipkart end-to-end.
“We are keen to make the brand relevant to young consumers in the Indian market. As a part of the exercise, we will bring in newer ranges from Nautica’s global portfolio,” said Rishi Vasudev, Senior VP and Group Head – Fashion, Flipkart, Myntra, Jabong.
Jamie Salter, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Authentic Brands Group, said, Flipkart Group brings a high degree of technological capabilities, making them an ideal partner for Nautica.
“We are confident that this partnership will help us engage more customers and we look forward to growing Nautica’s presence in India, an important growth market for the brand,” he added.