Following the example of several other Indian sporting goods manufacturers, Mayor World is the latest producer to have become active in distribution of international brands in India and neighboring countries. It has restructured its business in the last two years and obtained deals with Slazenger as well as Gola, Lonsdale and Diadora.
Mayor World is part of a business owned by two Mayor brothers, which is split into two units. Rajesh Mayor focuses on the production of inflatable balls in Jalandhar, in the northern province of Punjab. Rajan Mayor previously dealt with the production of golf balls in Delhi, but Mayor pulled out of this business to focus on several distribution deals.
Mayor World said that it obtained distribution rights for Slazenger in Southeast Asia, covering India as well as Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The brand was previously sold in India by F.C. Sondhi, the leading Indian manufacturer of cricket bats. Mayor World has started selling Slazenger footwear, apparel and some equipment. On top of that, Mayor World has a deal to produce Slazenger-branded inflatable balls for all global licensees.
When it comes to Lonsdale, another brand owned by Sports Direct International, Mayor World said it obtained a license for all footwear, apparel and equipment. The Gola deal relates to distribution only in the same countries as for Slazenger. Additionally Mayor World has just added an Indian licensing and distribution agreement with Diadora for footwear, apparel and accessories. It will start later this year with footwear. The Mayor group is considering opening its own stores to complement distribution in India, albeit not before next year.
Strategic changes at Planet Sports, the leading multi-brand sports retailer in India, have also contributed to a rejig in Indian distribution rights in the last two years. Suspicions that the Future Group, the owner of Planet Sports, wants to sell off Planet Sports have subsided, since the group has moved to reduce its debt burden. However, most of Planet Sports' former distribution and licensing agreements have been transferred to other companies.
Wilson has opted for Cravatex, a company based in Mumbai that already sells the Fila brand in India. Salomon has teamed up with AS Creations, which already sold Suunto, another brand of the Amer Sports group. As for Speedo, it already switched two years ago to a licensing deal with Page Industries, a textile manufacturer from Bangalore that performed strongly as the Indian licensee of Jockey, the American brand of underwear.
However, it is taking more time than many had hoped for the Indian sports market to become more organized and for sales to start expanding at a faster rate. Several manufacturers of sports equipment selling in India, ranging from footballs to cricket bats and hockey sticks, have asked for support from the government through an exemption from an excise duty. They complained that the duty of 2 percent imposed since 2011 hurt their sales, and requested they should be given the same exemption as the garments industry.
