Reebok plans to sell NFL gear

NEW DELHI: Come April, replica apparel of the top-notch National Football League (NFL) teams of the US will be available right here in India. In the Reebok India stores to be precise. The uniforms worn by the Patriots, Giants, Raiders, Steelers and Redskins, to begin with, will make an appearance in select Reebok stores.
With this, Reebok India will be launching a whole new line of business in the country.One of the five strategic business units of Reebok International, the on-field division that markets replica apparel from sports teams, will come to India. The NFL, with over 20 teams, will be the first to hit shop shelves. Replica apparel, incidentally, is a $ 600-million business in the US.
Siddharth Verma, MD of Reebok India, says: “Outside of the US, we will be among the first to launch the NFL range that is aimed mainly at teenagers.� Moreover, the Indian arm is also a global sourcing base for the NFL replica apparel, he adds.
Financially too, Verma says the company has been performing consistently well. “We closed 2002 with a retail turnover of Rs 135 crore compared to Rs 95 crore the year before. It was our fourth year of operating profits.� Reebok India, which sold 0.5 million pairs of shoes in 2002 also developed a strong export base. Its apparel exports, for instance, were bigger than domestic apparel sales last year.
The company is planning to focus on marketing fitness equipment. Soft-launched about six months back, Reebok has been selling equipment aimed at the individual user, says SS Prem, ED (sales & marketing).