New Delhi: Asian Footwears will invest around Rs 100 crore over the next 18 months to scale up manufacturing capacity, expand retail presence, and ramp up marketing as it looks to tap rising demand for affordable and mid-segment footwear across India, the company’s founder said.
The company, which clocked about Rs 525 crore in revenue in FY25, is growing 30-40 per cent annually and currently operates with single-digit profit margins.
In an interaction with ETRetail, managing director Rajinder Jindal said the priority remains on ‘volume growth over value growth.’ “With affordable pricing and low margins, we are maintaining quality and increasing footwear ownership in India,” he said.
Built with his wife Kiran Jindal, the brand is currently being led by their son Aayush, an IIT-Delhi graduate, Jindal shared.
Manufacturing push and retail expansion
Asian Footwears will channel Rs 50 crore into infrastructure, Rs 30 crore into new machinery, and Rs 15-20 crore into marketing. The brand currently runs 45 exclusive brand outlets (EBOs) and aims to double the count to 100 by the end of FY26, with a sharp focus on tier-II and tier-III cities.
Currently, its presence spans around 30,000 multi-brand outlets (MBOs), with plans to expand to one lakh outlets by adding 100 distributors to its network of 300 and strengthening semi-distributor networks.
The brand’s product mix caters to the mass (up to Rs 1,000), mid-segment (Rs 1,000–1,500), and premium sports categories (Rs 1,500–above), alongside high-value sneakers like Mojo priced up to Rs 3,000.
Balanced offline-online strategy
The brand’s offline sales contribute 55 per cent to the overall business, while 45 per cent comes from online channels such as Flipkart, Myntra, and quick commerce platforms like Zepto. Jindal expects the ratio to remain stable even as offline growth is fuelled by store openings in smaller towns.
The company manufactures around 1.5 million pairs monthly, sourcing all raw materials from domestic suppliers. “We are supporting the Make in India vision. We are not importing any footwear and are aligned with the government’s Vocal for Local mission,” Jindal said.
Tech adoption and marketing ramp-up
Asian Footwears is working to integrate 25-30 years of consumer data with AI to improve design and supply chain efficiency. Historically, spends were directed towards infrastructure, but the company is now set to boost marketing investments with larger influencer campaigns and heightened social media activity.
Exports form a “very nominal percentage” of sales, limited to Dubai at present, though new international markets are being explored, Jindal shared.
Backed by Motilal Oswal PE
In October 2022, Motilal Oswal’s private equity arm, MO Alternates, invested Rs 225 crore for a significant minority stake in Asian Footwears. The funds are being used to strengthen brand positioning, the distribution network, supply chain, and human resources.
