From humble beginnings to mkt leader: Paragon Footwear evolves with style

Paragon Footwear is one of the leading footwear manufacturers in India. The brand offers a wide range of footwear from fashionable sandals to sporty sneakers, offering durability and fashion.

As a brand that sells all over the country, Paragon needs little or no introduction in the Indian sub-continent. While rubber footwear continues to be its leading product, the Paragon brand name brings its longstanding assurance of quality and durability to a full range of other footwear products made of Poly-Urethane (PU), Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC), Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate (EVA) and Thermo Plastic Rubber (TPR) soles too. Paragon also has an in-house footwear design team dedicated to creating new designs and models to keep up with market demand. In an interview with Bizz Buzz, Sachin Joseph, Executive Vice President - Marketing & IT of Paragon Footwear explains how the company has grown over the years.

How has Paragon's journey been in the footwear business?

Paragon footwear has come a long way while becoming synonymous to a reliable brand in the footwear industry. From its origin in rubber footwear manufacturing, the company has evolved to offer a wide range of options with top quality products. The establishment of the Bangalore unit marked its path of growth and development with Paragon’s footprint leaving its impression in the local and global markets. The brand has rooted its presence in 19 countries in 49 years while adapting to the rapidly changing market trends and catering to ever changing preferences of its customers.

How has the company grown over the years?

Established in 1975, Paragon has grown to become a beloved and a reliable brand in the footwear industry with a dedication to provide ultimate comfort and latest design footwear to their customer at the most affordable prices. The brand has a gamut of footwear ranging from shoes, sandals, flip-flops, and slippers which are customized to different age groups and demographics.

The brand is easily accessible to a wider audience with the help of an extensive network consisting of multi-brand stores, both online and offline. From 1500 pairs in a day to manufacturing 400,000 pairs daily, the company has expanded its in house production capacity while making its cost effective products available to everyone with its effective supply chain network spanning more than 500 distributors who have their hands and legs across the length and breadth of the country.

What kind of footwear does the company specialise in?

The origin of the company traces back to rubber footwear manufacturing but over a period of time, the company has advanced to produce multiple options incorporating soles made from Polyurethane (PU), Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC), Ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), and ThermoPlastic Rubber (TPR). The company has a wide range of footwear catering to male, female and kids which is solidifying its position as a reliable brand for all age groups. Furthermore, Paragon is also bullish on incorporating the latest trends and designs in their footwear offering with ultimate comfort which ensures that every customer can find their perfect fit for their need.

What is the company's strategy for premiumisation?

The company realized that there is a huge section of the country that would love to spend a bit more on their footwear as long as there is a product differentiation to it. This led to the company launching its Premium brand in the year 2019 under the name of ‘Eeken’ that mainly focuses on shoes with the offering of latest trends in design and with added comfort, at the same time keeping the focusing on minimizing the costs of the product. This is sure to attract the eyes of the youngsters of the country who are now able to access the latest trends inspired from the western culture while keeping it pocket friendly!

What new launches do you plan for the year 2024?

We as a company focus on launching new products every month. Therefore, we have a gamut of products that are already planned for the year 2024 that are sure to be the most attractive products in the market.

What is the kind of target audience the company caters to?

Paragon has three separate brands under the umbrella that cater to different TG’s. We have the bread and butter brand “Paragon” that caters to the mass market with trendy and value for money products that offer the best quality.

We have another brand called “Stimulus” which is known for providing value added features, comfort and contemporary designs while keeping the prices marginally premium compared to Paragon products.

The third brand in our stable is called “Eeken” targeted towards the young population of the country with modern designs. The design of the shoes and other footwear offered by the brand are continuously modified to be best suited for the target audience while keeping the quality intact.

What is your export performance?

We export to over 19 countries across the world. Although the percentage of sales in comparison to domestic operations is less, we are seeing a steady growth in demand for our products from all parts of the globe thanks to our promise of attractive footwear at affordable prices while providing the utmost in terms of quality.

Do you have a separate category of footwear for the export markets?

Most of it is the same offering but we also have some specific products that cater to that particular country keeping in mind their use cases.

What is your position in the Indian market in terms of market share?

In the distribution channel, we are in the top 3 footwear manufacturers in the country. In terms of our own retail outlets, it's still a growing segment for us since we just launched our EBO’s a few years back only. But we are steadily increasing the number of EBO’s across the country.