Chennai: Chennai-based men's branded apparel manufacturer and retailer, Hasbro Clothing has announced the formal launch of its Probase brand, targeted at the mass market seeking mid-priced, branded apparel.

Hasbro Clothing has two brands, Genesis and Basics in its portfolio. Flagship brand Genesis comprises classic formalwear, while Basics is a fashion lifestyle brand, positioned to cater to adults in the age group of 18-40, who emphasise smart dressing, even while away from work. 

"Hasbro Clothing will tap the huge potential mass market price point for branded apparels in smaller cities and towns as well as metros, estimated at Rs5,000 crore," said Hanif Sattar, director, Hasbro Clothing, while announcing the launch of Probase.

"Probase has a mix of fashion, quality and affordability, which will allow fashion discerning individuals to take the first step in buying branded garments, at an affordable price. We are confident that Probase will be as popular in this segment, as our other established and premium brands Genesis and Basics," he added.

Hasbro retails its brands through its exclusive network of Genesis Basics outlets spread across Chennai, Coimbatore, Erode, Salem and Tirupur in Tamil Nadu. The company has a significant retail presence in South India, with outlets in Pondicherry, Trivandrum, Cochin, Calicut, Trissur, Tellicherry, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Secundrabad. In the rest of India, the company has a retail presence in Ahmedabad, Surat, Baroda, Noida and Delhi.

The two Hasbro brands are also available across multi-brand outlets and retail chainsand are also marketed in Sri Lanka and across the Gulf through exclusive retail outlets.

With the launch of Probase, Hasbro Clothing will further enhance its brand portfolio, including the popular Genesis formal wear and Basics fashion and casual wear. The company says that launch is bound to "elate the fashion conscious mass market" in tier two and three cities, as the Probase brand will feature a wide collection ranging from formal wear to relaxed casual wear and jeans wear targeted at young adults, marketed between the price points of Rs399 and Rs750.

Hasbro Clothing had test launched the Probase brand in certain key pockets of Chennai and other parts of the Tamil Nadu last year and based on the response, the brand will now be retailed across India in a phased manner, beginning with key cities and towns in the four southern states of Tamil Nadu, Kerela, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

According to a company statement, there would be over 200 distribution points by the end of this year.

Another Hasbro director, Suhail Sattar, added, "Probase will have minimal and select presence in our exclusive Genesis Basics outlets. We will make the brand available through a mix of exclusive brand stores, our strong distribution network in multi-brand outlets and other retail stores. Probase will support us in increasing volumes and supporting our aggressive business expansion plans in the next few years."