Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail (ABFRL) plans to expand its footwear business by setting up around 500 Reebok stores by FY’27. The company also plans to increase the brand’s online presence by FY’24-end.
By the end of Mar’24 quarter, ABFRL aims to increase the store count for Reebok to over 200 from the present 160 outlets. The company plans to add 100 Reebok stores annually over the next three years.
ABFRL has been strategically bolstering the retail presence of Reebok, the renowned sportswear brand, whose distribution rights it acquired in December 2021 for India and South East Asian countries for an estimated Rs 100 crore from the Authentic Brands Group, Reebok’s new owner.
Reebok products are now available in over 160 stores and 800-plus points of sale across various retail channels, including e-commerce platforms. This has enabled ABFRL to establish a significant presence in India’s Rs 20,000-crore organised sports footwear market, dominated by big names such as Puma, Adidas, Nike, Asics, Skechers, and Decathlon. Analysts and retail experts foresee ABFRL emulating the successful strategy of Metro Brands in expanding its footwear business by focusing on aggressive distribution and e-commerce expansion of Reebok
Besides expanding the brand’s store network, ABFRL has also been launching new campaigns and securing brand ambassadors include Bollywood actress Taapse Pannu and cricketer Surya Kumar Yadav, to rejuvenate the brand, signaling a renewed focus on capturing market share.