Innerwear maker Page Industries adds swimwear brand Speedo to its portfolio

BANGALORE: Innerwear maker Page Industries has tied up with swimwear brand Speedo International to manufacture, market and distribute the brand in India. Under the exclusive licensing agreement, effective from July, the Bangalore-based Page Industries will make swimwear, watershorts, apparel, equipment and footwear in India.

These products will hit shelves in January 2012, the company said.

The Rs 491-crore Page Industries is the exclusive license partner of Jockey international till 2030. Besides India, it manufactures for Sri Lanka, Republic of Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal and the Middle East market.

The Pentland Group, makers of Ted Baker and Ellesse, owns Speedo. The Australian brand is distributed in 170 countries.

"As Speedo continues to develop its global market presence, India is an extremely important market for Speedo," Michael O’Donnell, vice president of international business development for Speedo, said in a statement.

Page Industries has expanded Jockey's franchise into lifestyle categories such as the leisure wear segment for men and women under sub-brand Jockey Sport in India. This refers to sleepwear, casual wear or gymwear under a sub-brand called Jockey Sport. It has a distribution presence that includes 20,000 outlets across 1, 200 locations in India.