Top exporters of readymade garment (RMG) are now turning their focus for getting more tramp into the domestic market. Industry insiders said RMG exporters are now want to sight on home market as local consumption of word-class wear grasp a vast prospective.
The apex trade body in the clothing sector Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) explains the home market size of apparel products at around Tk 200 billion whereas the local brands could gain less than 10 per cent share. Locally manufactured apparels having no brand value now take up the majority part of the home market. Local clothe are achieving thanks in the home fashion industry as youths are getting fascinated mostly to unsophisticated classic-quality products. BGMEA reports that more than 60 local exporters including Beximco, Giant Group of Companies, Evince Group, Saasco group, East-West Industrial Park Ltd, Babylon Group and Millon Clothings Ltd are now making dresses to provide to home marketplace. President of BGMEA Md Atiqul Islam said, ‘The domestic market has gigantic prospect as there are more than 160 million people living in the country’. He said for local customers’ awareness the entrepreneurs are going up their business on the local market. He also explained that previous to few years, the local customers inured to demand foreign-brand clothes but now they are returning to local brands as the local stuffs are better than foreign ones.
In this regard Jahangir Alam, deputy general manager (DGM) of Beximco Design studio, a sister concern of Beximco Group, stated, Beximco Textiles is 100% export-oriented company but in recent times it has decided to extend its division on the domestic market with YELLOW brand. It is known to all that YELLOW is a local fashion brand which maintains international-quality designs and fabrics. ‘We have been producing a broad collection of products, including formal and casual wears for men, women and kids’ he further added. Since initiation, Mr. Jahangir notified, they have been offering world-class designs which have competitive price range.
Faruque Hassan, managing director of a large RMG exporter Giant Group believed that local customers’ outlook is changing as a number of local companies are supplying international-quality apparel products.
He advocates that the local brands are trying to furnish to domestic customers’ attention as the local company carries minimum two new designs for them per week. Mr Hassan said their brand-name ‘Texmart’ mainly has been giving priority to middle-income group and making T-shirts Fabric, shirts, jeans and the like. Last year, Texmart product sales saw a 15 per cent growth. So he said the local brand is receiving popularity very fast as last year they produced 0.5 million pieces of clothes for local market result.
According to Evince Group, a leading readymade garment manufacturer and exporter said their company has moved to domestic market at the side of export business. They opened outlet at Banani and Uttara in the city in the previous year and recently opened another outlet at Dhanmondi.
The company’s managing director Anwar-Ul-Alam Chowdhury Parvez said their brand ‘Noir’ with high-end local products and accessories targets Tk 300 million worth of sales on the domestic market. Noir wishes to meet local customers’ taste as the domestic market has a huge gap between supply and demand for designer clothes.
Atiar Rahman Dipu, managing director of BLU- Premium Fashion, a concern of SAASCO Group, said they locate titanic opportunity on the local market and so the group has launched its premium line of designer wears. He also cited that local people’s lifestyle is changing and they want quality products.
