House of Ittehad: Fashion chain to expand locally, globally to capture market

Chain received great market response encouraging it to increase presence.

FAISALABAD: The House of Ittehad – clothing retail chain owned by Faisalabad-based Ittehad Group of Industries – plans on opening new outlets across Pakistan to target the emerging middle-class.

The chain has cemented its presence in the market for the last two years and received good market response both locally and globally, encouraging the company to expand its business.

House of Ittehad, which already has an established presence in Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Gujarat, Rawalpindi and Dubai, has now decided to expand its reach to the public across Pakistan and international markets.

“Following the success of its brand locally and internationally, the Ittehad Group will open outlets in all districts of Pakistan to tap the rising middle-class of the country,” said Nazim Sheikh, CEO of the company, in an interview to The Express Tribune.

After boosting our revenues to the maximum level and feeling that we are being held back by our limited presence, we have decided to invest more in this business, Sheikh added.



“The response so far has been phenomenal as international buyers loved the designs of the collection made right here in Pakistan. A few years ago, foreign clients did not demand such products, but now due to changing environment and globalisation this trend has reversed”, he said.

Shaikh also spoke about the evolution in consumers’ tastes and demands. “With lawn – a plain weave textile, originally of linen but now chiefly cotton – becoming the people’s choice over time and replacing other fabrics for formal and casual wear, we have seen an exponential increase in demand.” Sheikh quoted the example of France where the changing weather had forced people to shift to cotton.

Apart from expanding locally, the Group also seeks to cater the growing demand all over the world for lawn clothing. The House of Ittehad in Dubai, though being the major revenue driver for the company in the international landscape is not enough to satisfy the demand, which has forced the company to explore potential locations for outlets in Europe, the Gulf and the US.

Taking a concerned approach in regards to the prevailing energy crisis, the company plans to install generators to ensure power supply to all its retail outlets that it plans to open. Moreover, the company also aims to remove supply chain bottlenecks in its export chain to better feed it international outlets.

Ittehad Group has an extensive product line which includes home textile, home apparel products, stitched/unstitched fabric collection, furniture, paintings, Indian jewellery, handmade rugs, shoes and bags will become “international fashion-oriented brand”, according to Shaikh.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 8^th, 2013.

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