What inspires a brand to take the next step in its evolution? Peter England, the honest-to-goodness menswear brand, has now decided to move a step further with Peter England Elite, an exclusive sub-brand. Dhruv Tanwar reports.

Young, upwardly mobile professionals need better grooming and better garments as they move up the ladder of life. There's no looking back here, and brands must evolve if they are to retain loyal customers who are on the move. Peter England, India's biggest mid-price ready-to-wear men's clothing range, has now evolved, with an exclusive sub-brand called Peter England Elite.

Established in the UK during the 1880s, Peter England is a brand that came to India in 1997, launched as the ''honest'' shirt - representing good quality at a value price - in a market dominated by higher priced ranges of established premium menswear brands. ''Peter England,'' says its marketing director K Venkat Ramani, ''was the smart choice in contemporary work wear.''

Not surprisingly, the brand has dominated the mid-price segment of Rs395 to Rs895 for over a decade. But India's fast-paced economic growth has had its impact on Peter England's customers. Those honest, hardworking folks of yesteryear, who identified with Peter England's values, have evolved - both in terms of their economics as well as their aspirations.

This was as much of a challenge as an opportunity. To retain its faithful customer base, Peter England realised it would have to tap into their fast-changing lifestyles, and match up to the higher standards they had now set for themselves.

Says Ramani, ''The opportunity was above Peter England's segment, but below the high fashion brands. So we decided to create a sub brand between the Rs900 to Rs1,200 price points.''

That was the genesis of Peter England Elite. As such, the sub-brand's DNA is not distinct from the original Peter England; it positions itself as the smart choice in premium work wear for India's contemporary workforce.

Celebrating success
Peter England Elite directly addresses the young, upwardly mobile, contemporary working Indian between the ages of 20 to 30. This population comprises people making fast-paced progress in their work life, growing from one success to another.

Over the past decade, Peter England has addressed the needs of 25 million people, a large percentage of whom bought Peter England in addition to multiple other brands. Peter England Elite ensures that the brand stays in continuum with their evolving lifestyles. As Ramani puts it, ''Peter England Elite is a toast to the young working professional's success.'' The Peter England Elite trouser range retails between the Rs1,095 to Rs1,395 price points. He says Peter England Elite will even address the segment that is not buying Peter England yet.

In a class of its own
Won't the 'elite' range cannibalise its namesake? Ramani is least worried, as he calls it ''good cannibalisation''. ''Peter England Elite is the next step in evolution of the brand, and is an attempt to provide an upgrade to the consumer,'' he says.

In any case, he points out, Peter England customers will not stop buying the original Peter England brand, just because the Elite range has come to the store. Buyers, he says, have varying 'need states' for buying different garments. There is presentable clothing, dressing for style, and/or making a fashion statement.

As a brand, Peter England is focused on presentability. Peter England Elite would cater to special occasions demanding the kind of premium shirt and trousers that the Elite range offers. Meanwhile, everyday work wear will probably continue to be Peter England.

In its own niche
And what about competition from the premium brands? ''There isn't any,'' says Ramani, pointing out that Peter England Elite is priced in a largely yet-to-be addressed niche, above the Peter England range, but just below these premium brands. ''At present,'' says Ramani, ''there is no national brand in this niche. Local brands will enter the Peter England Elite segment at a much later point in time. We created this segment, and we offer quality and fantastic value at those prices.''

Then why did it remain unaddressed until now? Ramani says most players prefer to play safe, and stick to the mid-price Rs395 to Rs500 range. Others are much further up the value chain. Over the past four to five years, this gap has widened. ''Brands in these segments have stayed where they were, while we saw our consumer's lifestyles evolving,'' he says.

A question of attitude
In communicating Peter England Elite's brand to its audience, there will be an emphasis on what Peter England Elite stands for. The plan is to forge a strong connect with the brand's values and attitude - contemporary, international, inclusive, and being who you are.

Given the brand's youth appeal, online advertising as a communication tool is definitely is also on the cards, with all relevant sites that will host the advertising and branding for the Elite range to be finalised soon as part of the brand's media plan. ''Offline advertising has already started in Bangalore, in print and outdoor media,'' says Ramani.

Roll-outs and retailing
Some Peter England merchandise is available on eBay. So is there also an online retail plan in the pipeline? Ramani says, ''We do retail online, and we are on the net. But it makes a very small contribution to the business.''

Online retailing, he says, has more to do with consumer's comfort with touch and feel, and the act of shopping. Internet buying for apparel in India will take time to evolve to a point where online retail will be a really viable alternative channel.

For Peter England Elite's retail initiatives, the in-store presentation is key to influencing consumer choice, and forms a significant part of the marketing mix. Earlier, this was driven by distribution, but now Peter England stores are stocking Elite as well, and they are giving sufficient space for its presentation as a premium sub-brand. Separate panel fixtures showcase Peter England Elite, and the in-store presentation is in line with the sensibilities of people with growing aspirations.

The roll out strategy will mean Peter England Elite is not distributed to chain stores, initially. Rather, the sub-brand will hit the market directly through Peter England's distribution network and standalone Peter England stores. A subsequent phase of rollout will see the brand on the shelves of other stores, including popular retail chain stores.

Peter England Elite, says Ramani, will be a ''wardrobe solution''. At present, the range focuses on formal shirts and trousers, but there are plans for the inclusion of an entire line of accessories in a short while.

For times to come
''For the moment, this is about it,'' says Ramani. That means notwithstanding the season's offerings in every sub-brand that infuse fresh designs, colours, and fits into the Peter England range, we could well see a sub-brand transition sometime in the future, which just might include women as part of Peter England's latest customers.

''We also have a family store in the offing from Peter England,'' says Ramani, but he admits that is still on the drawing board. Clearly, there's going to be a lot more evolution coming from the place where Peter England Elite found its genesis...