The luggage industry in India is currently undergoing consolidation. Competition in the sector is expected to intensify with the entry of foreign players like Delsey of France and many other Chinese players. The luggage market comprises three segments viz., the premium segment, regular segment, and standard or economy segment. According to a Datamonitor report, “Luggage and leather goods sales via key retail formats in India to
2013”, luggage and leather goods market in India posted a CAGR of 13.5% between 2003 and 2009, to USD 605 mn. Bags, wallets and purses sales led the luggage and leather goods market with a share of 57.9% in 2008.
For many years, the market was dominated by players like VIP and Aristocrat. Then, Samsonite came in ~7-10 years ago, followed by American Tourister and Delsey. A few years ago, Witco India, a specialty multi brand retail chain of luggage, bags, and travel accessories, tapped the Indian market. Witco currently has 12 outlets in Chennai, Bengaluru, Kochi, and Calicut and aims to be India's leading retailer in travel requisites in the premium segment. It offers internationally renowned premium brands like Witco, Samsonite, Kipling, Rimowa, VIP, Jansport, Giordano, Delsey, American Tourister, Case Logic, Fiorelli, Jang, and Blue & Blues. Witco is the No.1 retailer of Samsonite in India and the No.1 retailer for VIP luggage in South India with more than 60% market share in Chennai. The total luggage market is pegged at around INR 30 bn with organised and unorganized players’ shares pegged at INR 10 bn and INR 20 bn, respectively. While hard luggage accounts for around INR 7 bn, soft luggage’s share stands at around INR 23 bn. In the context of the Indian luggage industry, soft luggage continues to be the prominent driver, growing at 30% per annum, whereas hard luggage is growing at 4-5% annually. There has been a continuous shift from hard luggage to soft luggage as the latter is much