Wal-Mart's Asda division in the U.K., identifing a demand for affordable Indian fashions, has announced it is rolling out a line under its George label in 21 stores.
 Source: Asda Direct website |
The chain points to internal research that found 63 percent of Asda's ethnic customers were looking for authentic, yet affordable, fashions. Interestingly, Asda believes the new line will also appeal to non-Asians.
"We are extremely proud to be launching the UK's first mainstream range of traditional Asian clothing." said Fiona Lambert, brand director at George, in a press release. "We have the broadest socio demographic group of all the supermarkets and we wanted to offer affordable clothing suitable for all our customers."
Parent Wal-Mart points to its success selling Bollywood-inspired clothing in Canada as a sign that the new George line will appeal to Asian consumers and others, as well.
"We were blown away by the attention brought on by the launch of our range of South Asian influenced clothing - from industry watchers, to media, to our ethnic customers. Strong sales aside, the buzz and goodwill that continues to surround the line has been absolutely remarkable." said Kevin Groh, corporate affairs director, Wal-Mart Canada.
Discussion Questions: Will we see Wal-Mart stores or other mainstream fashion retailers introduce authentic Indian cultural clothing to the U.S. market? Will these items find a market with non-Asians in much the same manner as food?