Crocs to set up manufacturing unit in Chennai

New Delhi, Apr 11: After putting its feet firm in Goa and Mumbai, the US-based footwear company Crocs will set up a manufacturing facility in Chennai by the end of this year to cater to the Indian market as well as act as an exporting hub for overseas.

''As we scale our presence in India, we may partner with a local manufacturer. The plant will be set up by the fourth quarter of this calender year,'' Crocs India Managing Director Mark Langhammer told mediapersons here today.

The company will also set up single-brand retail outlets by the end of this year or early next year, he said after launching the Crocs range of coloured shoes.

''We have entered the Indian market in January this year and will make substancial investments to make a niche. Crocs will invest about one to two million dollars initially in bringing the required equipment for the plant,'' Company Chief Operating Officer John McCarvel told UNI.

Crocs aims to have a presence in 400 retail selling points by end-2007 and is looking at Tier-II cities like Pune, Bangalore, Hyderabad besides Delhi, NCR, Chennai and Kolkata.

UNI