Peppo Fashions Group president and CEO Aswin Ruanglertbutr, left, and general manager Emilie-I Isidoro, right, join Promod’s regional operation director Emanuel Jean at the Promod flagship store in Bangkok.

"Promod will help complete our product range from luxury to the middle market following Guess, Castro and MNG," president

and CEO Aswin Ruanglertbutr said.

Promod would target women in their early 20s to late 30s, Aswin said at the opening of the Bt10-million, 200-square-metre flagship store in the Siam Centre shopping mall.

With mix-and-match clothing, Promod will respond to customers who demand a variety of choices as well as have a flair for fashion and a desire for stunning, high-quality, easy-to-wear and affordable apparel, he said. It is also neither too classy nor too trendy. Promod prices start at Bt390 and go up to Bt3,000.

Up to six branches with an investment of Bt60 million would be opened in Bangkok over three years.

"We are confident the Promod brand will be successful in the Thai market. Target customers are expected to be tourists and locals," Aswin said.

Although aimed at the middle market, Promod has its own original designs, which do not duplicate other brands.

Promod should generate 10 per cent of the company's total sales, he said without giving any figures.

Last year, Peppo's sales of Bt1.3 billion were split evenly between Guess and MNG.

General manager Emilie-I Isidoro said that for this year, Guess and MNG would make up 40 per cent each while the remaining 20 per cent would come from the recently launched Castro line and from Promod.

Emanuel Jean, director of operations for Promod in Asia and the Middle East, said that since Promod proved successful in China, it would branch out to Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia and the Philippines this year.

The Bangkok flagship store is Promod's third largest in Asia following Shanghai and Beijing.

"Growth in the Asian fashion market is unlimited," Jean said, adding that the Asian production bases are in China and India.

Promod was created in 1975 to operate in the distinctive designing, production and retailing of women's accessories and ready-to-wear clothing. It is now one of the biggest fashion-store chains in the world, satisfying more than 20 million customers a year with 550 outlets in over 35 countries.

Promod also creates an average of 3,000 styles a year in ready-to-wear garments designed by its in-house department and offers four collections - leisure, casual, city wear and formal.

Sasithorn Ongdee

The Nation