Legacy luggage players cede ground to new-age rivals

Shift in customer base as travel market booms

- VIVEAT SUSAN PINTO

INDIA IS WITNESSING a travel boom, but organised luggage firms are finding it difficult to reap the benefits of this surge due to a shift in customer base to new-age companies.

Legacy players such as Samsonite, VIP Industries and Safari are struggling with decline in sales and profit amid high discounting and promotional intensity across platforms as well as a growing preference for online and direct-to-consumer brands by consumers.

Trade and distribution sources that FE spoke to say that discounts on most luggage brands today are as high as 50-70%, both online and offline, as consumers seek durable and value-for-money products. New-age brands such as Mokobara, Nasher Miles, ICON and Uppercase, among others, are also upending the market with new designs, styles and innovations. Legacy players are therefore feeling the pinch as the ₹15,000-crore domestic luggage market undergoes a churn.