Superhouse exports over 50 lakh pairs of shoes

Mumbai, Jun 7: In order to cater to the huge demand arising in the US markets, footwear manufacturer, Superhouse Ltd today announced that they were expanding its production capacity in footwear division with an investment plan of a whopping Rs 500 million, spread over the next one year, which would eventually make them the only Indian company to manufacture and export more than 50 lakh pairs of shoes in a year.

The company presently manufactures approximately 10,000 pairs of fashion and safety footwear per day and this existing capacity will be raised by 50 per cent to 15,000 pairs a day by the end of the year.

To achieve this capacity, the company is setting up two additional footwear units in Agra and Kanpur, for which land has already been acquired in the two cities, besides the five units operational at Kanpur and Unnao, an official statement said.

In order to meet the demand for raw material, Superhouse will also setup a new tannery at Unnao offering additional one lakh sq feet of leather per month. This will be in addition to the existing 2 lakh sq ft of leather manufactured in the tanneries at Kanpur. The entire process of increasing manufacturing will be in line with meeting the environmental concerns and also bring about employment for an additional 800 strong workforce.

Superhouse CMD Mukhtarul Amin said, ''Export in leather accessories has been our strength and seeing potential in emerging markets has led to expansion of our production capabilities. The expansion will cater to markets in the US where the demand is surging high for fashion and safety shoes.'' The company's expansion plans will be funded by internal accruals and loans from financial institutions, he said and added that the company has been supplying footwear range to a number of noted retailers of the world including Carrefour, Europe and Metro MGB Group, the world's 2nd and 3rd largest retail chains.

We have also forayed into Germany, Holland, South Africa and Australian markets with our safety shoes, Mr Amin added.

UNI