Crocodile clothes get 60% discount

To cope with an economic slowdown, the company's marketing manager Chalidda Luxameesathaporn said the company has discounted its clothing prices in a bid t stimulate consumer's power purchasing like other garment manufacturers.

Chalidda said the company has never discounted its clothing prices as a major marketing activity before. But for this year it has given discount at the highest level of 60 per cent. It has to use this promotion until the end of this year.

"Despite a lot of sales promotion by giving discounted prices, sales revenue of apparel business so far has dropped by 30-40 per cent. If several manufacturers do not discount their apparel prices, sales revenue is forecasted to fall more than 50 per cent this year," she said.

Besides, Chattaweekij Corporation this year has adapted it clothing model to catch younger consumers. The company has designed several new collections to meet the younger consumers' need.

Formerly, its major client base is government officers age over 30 years, particularly men.

She added that the company had to increase its marketing budget this year by 30 per cent from Bt50 million last year for sales promotion throughout the year.

For the first eight months of this year, the company's sales revenue grew by 20 per cent from the same period last year due to hard sales promotion. The company expects to generate revenue this year of Bt300 million, increasing by 100 per cent from Bt150 million last year.

Apart from clothing discount, Chattaweekij Corporation this year has shifted to focus more on upcountry's consumers as high purchasing power similar to that in Bangkok. It plans to expand 20 sales counters across the country by the end of this year, 80 per cent of which will be established in upcountry, she said.

"Consumers in Bangkok and nearby provinces have a lot impact from the political conflict if compared with people in provincial.

Upcountry consumers have high purchasing power. The frequency to shop as well as sales volume is higher than Bangkokian. We will not stop penetrating this consumer group," she said.

At present, she said 70 per cent of Crocodile's sales counter is in Bangkok, the remainders are in provincial. Chattaweekij

Corporation plans to increase sales counters by 60 spots across the country next year with budget of Bt3 million to Bt5 million per counter. If it could achieve this plan, sales-counter proportion of upcountry market should equal to that in Bangkok at 50: 50, while sales revenue should reach Bt500 million.

Chalidda said the company was eyeing golf club as well as several sport corners in the shopping malls as a new distribution channel because most of its garment was a casual and sport wear.