Sistema JSFC Draws Up Retail Plans In India; Brings In ‘Acoola’, One of Russia’s Most Loved Kid Retail Brand To The Country
New Delhi: Concept Group, a subsidiary company of Sistema JSFC, in association with Saamag Group plans to bring ‘Acoola’ branded kids retail outlets in India. Acoola is a popular brand of clothing, footwear, and accessories for kids aged 2 to 14 years old in Russia. The first ‘Acoola’ store in India is being opened in Logix City Center Mall, Noida with plans to open at least 10 stores by end of 2018 across Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. The company has also drawn plans to make available exclusive ‘Acoola’ merchandise on prominent e-commerce platforms like Myntra.com, Jabong.com and TataCLiQ.com.
Sistema JSFC, the largest publicly-traded diversified holding company in Russia, purchased 40% stake in a holding company that owns Concept Group, one of Russia’s leading fashion clothing retailers, in October 2014. Founded in 2004, Concept Group creates collections and sells women’s clothing, accessories, lingerie as well as children’s wear through its own stores, franchises, online and wholesale channels.
According to, Emin Rustamov, CEO of Concept Group, “We are excited to bring Acoola, one of Russia’s most loved popular brand of clothing, footwear, and accessories to India. The Russian retail brands is specially known for its strong appeal and connect with kids aged between 2 to 14 years. With over 260 Acoola stores already operational in Russia, the Company has now drawn extensive plans to go international, with India being one of the key markets for the brand. Our plan is to open at least 10 stores in India over the next one year.”
To launch the ‘Acoola’ branded stores in India, Concept Group has formed a joint venture with Samaag Group which has extensive experience in commercial construction, retail and e-commerce.
According to Dinesh Pandey, Chairman of Saamag Group, “We at Saamag Group are delighted to bring Acoola, one of Russia’s leading kids brand to India. It presents a win-win opportunity both for Samaag and the Concept Group, as we have an international apparel company at one end, partnering with a strong Indian partner who understands the domestic retail landscape. Given that the kids wear segment is one of the fastest growing segments within the Indian apparel market, it augurs extremely well for a quality retail brand like Acoola to leverage the opportunity. What is also exciting to note is the fact that India is one of the youngest nations in the world with 29 per cent of its population being less than 14 years old, which really is a sweet spot for Acoola to make its presence felt.“
For the Indian market, Concept Group has especially optimized its product range keeping in mind the Indian customers, while at the same time maintaining Acoola’s merchandising standards. Acoola’s primary focus in India will be on summer stock made of natural fabrics. For the winter season, customers will be able to buy insulated items produced out of innovation fabrics. All product delivery will be done directly from Russia and from factories located mainly in South Asia region. Some part of the product will be produced in India. While the main assortment at the Acoola store will be kept same as in every Acoola store around the world to maintain standardization, going forward, Concept Group also plans to develop capsular collections specially produced for India.
‘Acoola’ branded products include daily, school, and holiday attire of the greatest varieties of looks and styles, as well as a broad selection of accessories, footwear, linen, and sock wares. All clothing under the Accola brand is manufactured out of high-quality materials of various textures. Significant emphasis is placed on the functional attributes of the selected fabrics, which renders items not only comfortable, but also as practical as possible.