Following the recent launch of its `Scullers Skin' campaign, handled by Saatchi & Saatchi, which will stay through March 2001, the company will shortly finalise a fresh ad and promo budget for fiscal 2001-02 (fiscal 2000-01: Rs 8 crore) and take out a television commercial for the first time.

Indus League will expand its exclusive stores-Scullers Club-from 13 (two are company-owned) to over 30 in 2001.

Indus League will also launch Stylist Services beginning with its mega Scullers Club in Bangalore. This will be a consultancy service provided by fashion experts twice a month to female visitors. The company expects to take the service to all major chain stores by the year-end.

Indus League is also finalising a raft of activities to promote Scullers womenwear through lifestyle establishments, beauty parlours, and credit card providers. Also at a later stage, the company is looking at Web-integration to enable its half-a-dozen key distributors to access stock information and engage in transaction.

``There is enormous opportunity in western womenswear as nobody is doing specialised fabric and co-ordinates for women,'' says Ms Pooja Singhania, brand manager, Indus League. ``We expect Scullers womenswear, (which was introduced in October 2000 exclusively through Shopper's Stop), to account for around five per cent of the company turnover.''

Currently, Indus League has a two-brand strategy with the Indigo nation brand, accounting for over 60 per cent of turnover and the remaining by premium-priced Scullers.

Scullers merchandising offers a wide range of western women's clothing-classics, smart casuals, and essentials (like woven knitted tops, trousers, capris, skirts and formal jackets). Womenwear will carry forward Scullers positioning for menswear-`Cool Casuals for Office and After.' With over 100 styling options a month, Scullers womenswear tops start at Rs 399 while bottom wear (trousers and skirts) start at Rs 599.

``The focus of our customer education through a network of upscale stores will be to help women `mix-and-match' and try co-ordinated looks to quickly go from regular daywear to a formal occasion to meet the demands of their active lifestyle,'' says Ms Singhania. ``Our communication will focus on Scullers mood, feel, colour, and product attributes like our use of Lycra (as in latest Skin campaign) which provides extra comfort and fit.''

Targeted at working women, housewives and students in the age group 18-35 in SEC A and A1, Scullers womenwear will initially be offered in premium multi-brand outlets, national chain stores and exclusive Scullers Clubs. Says Ms Singhania, ``Metros and cities like Pune and Chandigarh are expected to drive our sales.''

Indus League has already extended
Scullers women range to half a dozen Scullers Clubs and forged alliances with national chain stores like Shopper's Stop (six outlets), Globus (one), Lifestyle (two), Pantaloon (five) and Ebony (five) across top eight cities to boost the women range. Says Ms Singhania: ``We're also looking at distribution in Dubai through five outlets.'' A typical Scullers Club occupies an area of 500 sqft to 1,000 sqft, entailing an investment of around Rs 2,500 per sqft to Rs 5,000 per sqft. The company expects its franchisees to register profits in a couple of years of operations.