Chinese footwear giant starts operations in India

NEW DELHI: Chinese footwear giant Aokang International, which is the official leather goods supplier to the Beijing Olympics, will invest Rs.3 billion ($75 million) to set up a chain of retail stores and factories across India.
 
The company Wednesday opened the first of its factories at Manesar in Gurgaon, near the national capital, with an initial capacity of 200 pairs per day.
 
"This factory will make products that will match the international standards in quality and craftsmanship," said Anirudh Banerjee, chief executive and managing director of Aokang International's India operations.
 
He said the company's range of footwear is now available at an exclusive show room at the MGF Metropolitan mall in south Delhi and at similar outlets at malls across Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.
 
"We are also coming up with two exclusive flagship stores in south Mumbai by the second week of August," Banerjee said.

The 20,00 square feet factory will initially cater to the footwear needs of men, mainly in the middle income segment.

"Initially, it will produce middle segment products and we will import all high segment material from China. Full fledged production will be transferred to India by 2010," Banerjee said.

The shoemaker has offices in China, the US and Hong Kong apart from India, and sources its designs from Milan in Italy and Wenzhou and Guangzhou provinces in China.