Mumbai: US footwear company Crocs has elevated India to its tier-one priority markets, as it bets beyond metros and sees the country as both a long-term growth engine and a supply chain hub.
“For the last couple of years, India’s importance has risen and the growth here is a critical component to our growth plan,” said Anne Mehlman, president of the Crocs brand. India is the most rapidly growing and one of six key global markets for the brand, she told ET.
The company posted more than $4 billion in revenue globally in 2025, with international business growing 11% in the fourth quarter. “About 50% of our business on the Crocs brand side comes from outside of the US,” said Mehlman. “India is part of that.”
In the fiscal year ended March 2025, the company’s sales in India fell 7% to ₹558 crore while net profit dropped 37% to ₹16.2 crore, according to its filings with the Registrar of Companies.
India Footprint
The clog-maker entered India in 2007 and currently holds five factories here, growing from two in 2023. “These are to serve both the India market and the 85 other markets around the world,” said Mehlman.
The company said India remains under consideration for capacity expansion amid tariff volatility and sourcing shifts.
“We have a well-diversified supply chain, but from the US perspective, everybody was impacted by tariffs,” Mehlman said. India is an important player on the manufacturing front, not just for international but also for India itself, she said.
In Asia, Crocs has manufacturing facilities also in China, Vietnam and Indonesia.
The company operates 300 mono-branded stores in partnership with the Apparel Group for distribution in northern and eastern India and Metro Brands in the southern and western regions. “Of these, two are our own stores, the rest are owned by them. We plan to aggressively expand our footprint and continue to build out mono-brand stores,” said Mehlman.
The company sees a significant opportunity in small cities, she said. “Last year, tier-2 and tier-3 city revenue grew faster than tier-1. So, we’ll continue to aggressively build out that fleet with them.”
Crocs is also prioritising a strong omnichannel, comprising both online and offline, presence in India.
While the company acknowledges the importance of its ecommerce touchpoints, it is cautious on the quick commerce channel. Crocs had experimented with the format last year, partnering with Swiggy Instamart. “We want to make sure that it makes sense from a footwear perspective, we’re watching it develop before we figure out how to (go about it),” said Mehlman.
Decoding the Indian Consumer
Originally known for its colourful rubber clogs with holes, popular in India as a monsoon shoe, the company had previously been keen on expanding its positioning beyond the flagship product.
“Eighty percent of our product lines are global. We focus on an 80-20 mix,” said Mehlman, adding that the brand is focusing beyond the ‘monsoon brand’ image.
India accounts for the brand’s most penetrated market in the sandals category, according to her.
