Choitali Chakravarty

New Delhi, 18 November

BUOYED by the decent response to Wills Lifestyle, ITC is setting up the Wills Design and Technology centre in Gurgaon. Spread over an area of 30,000 sq. ft, the experimental lab will serve as a nucleus for apparel design for both men and women.

The idea is to develop a bank of Indian design patterns and conduct research on viable trends for the future. The indigenously developed garments will be first introduced in the Indian market before being taken abroad.

When contacted, the spokesperson for ITC confirmed the setting up of the garment research centre, "The idea is to make the Wills Sport bnrand futuristic," he said. "Wills Lifestyles stores in Delhi (South Extension), Chandigarh, Pune and Bangalore are the highest gross revenue earners in their respective shopping areas," the ITC spokesperson added.

Industry sources said ITC is focusing not just on garments but also on lifestyle products like perfume, sun-glasses, footwear and other accessories. In order to communicate to the consumer the essence of the brand, Wills Sport has been rechristened Wills Lifestyle.

The lifestyle retailing business division of ITC plans to pump in Rs 150 crore within 2-3 years and achieve a turnover of Rs 250-300 crore by the end of the third year. ITC started its retail business in June last year.