French Shoemaker Kickers To Enter India Soon

In a major coup of sorts with far-reaching implications for the domestic retail space, Chennai-based Kothari Industrial Corp. has penned a pact with France's Royer Group to bring the iconic Kickers brand of products to India.

Significantly enough, the alliance with Kickers will signal its big foray into the retail space and pitchfork KICL—one of the oldest and most trusted names—into the national scene.

This is perhaps the first time that such an iconic, international brand has chosen to join hands with a corporate entity to announce its entry into India.

The courtship with Royer Group gives KICL the freedom to host Kickers retail stores across the country. The first such retail Kickers store will come up in Chennai. KICL, one of the iconic industrial houses in Tamil Nadu, is headquartered in the city.

Kickers is a youth brand that was created in 1970 in France. It is a unique retail concept. The brand mirrors the latest trends and fashion in designer products in footwear and clothing.

KICL and Royer Group have entered into a licensing agreement covering a 30-year period that could see Kickers enter India very soon.

The scope of the licensing agreement will cover a range of business possibilities. It includes a broad spectrum, such as wholesale, retail, production, e-commerce and the like, for the Kickers brand.

The licensing pact is an all-encompassing one and includes various Kickers brands of products such as footwear, apparel and accessories.

Besides India, the licensing agreement gives KICL marketing rights for the Kickers brand in countries such as Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the Maldives, Bhutan, Nepal, Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

The entry of Kickers into India could prove to be a game-changer, not only for KICL but for retail fashion products as a whole, according to J. Rafiq Ahmed, managing director of KICL.

“Our concept appeals to the ability of every adult and every child to renew physical contact with material and, therefore, the products, thanks to their shape and colours with strong evocative power,” said Royer Group.

Kickers were created by French designer Daniel Raufast in the 1970s, who had a vision to create the perfect boot to wear with jeans. Inspired by the musical Hair and the youth of the 70s wearing simple tees and jeans, he dreamed of creating a statement boot that the masses could learn to walk in and wear.

Though the brand is of French origin, Kickers has an international dimension. It is a brand for all in the family and claims to be unique, original and authentic.

After nearly 50 years of experience, the trans-generational brand now offers a range of comfortable, fashionable products for adults and children, with particular expertise in supporting infants as they learn to walk.

“Feel good in your shoes and feel good in your life. That’s the Kickers’ motto—a state of mind as well as a style. To wear Kickers is to express your difference and a philosophy of life in which you are guided by your curiosity and open-mindedness,” according to Royer Group.

Rafiq Ahmed is sanguine about the alliance with the Royer Group and is eager to make Kickers a largely likeable brand across the spectrum in India.

The finer details of Kickers' entry into India are still being worked out.