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Raymond Ltd

Overview

Raymond Ltd is an Indian textile and apparel company best known for manufacturing worsted suiting fabric. Headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, the company is one of the largest integrated producers of worsted fabric in the world and operates across textiles, branded apparel, garmenting, and related businesses. Its flagship brand, Raymond, has been associated with men's suiting in India for several decades.

Key facts

Name Raymond Ltd
Industry Textiles and apparel
Headquarters Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Country India
Listings BSE, NSE
Flagship brand Raymond
Core product Worsted suiting fabric

Background

Raymond traces its origins to a woollen mill established in Thane in the early twentieth century. The business was acquired by the Singhania family, and under the stewardship of Vijaypat Singhania and later Gautam Singhania, it expanded from a single mill into a diversified textile and lifestyle enterprise. Over the decades, the company has built a vertically integrated operation covering wool combing, spinning, weaving, finishing, and garmenting.

Businesses and brands

The company's operations span several segments:

  • Branded fabric: Worsted suiting, cotton shirting, and wool-blend fabrics sold under the Raymond name.
  • Branded apparel: Brands including Raymond Ready to Wear, Park Avenue, ColorPlus, Parx, and Ethnix.
  • Garmenting: Manufacturing of formal shirts, trousers, suits, and jackets for domestic and export markets.
  • Retail: A network of stores, including The Raymond Shop, spread across Indian cities and towns as well as several international markets.
  • Tools and hardware: Operated historically through JK Files and associated businesses.
  • Engineering and auto components: Ring Plus Aqua and related units serving the auto-component industry.
  • Real estate: Development on the company's land holdings in Thane through Raymond Realty.

History and chronology

  • The Raymond Woollen Mill was set up in Thane in the pre-Independence period.
  • The mill was acquired by the Singhania family of Kanpur in the mid-twentieth century.
  • The company expanded into ready-to-wear apparel with the launch of brands such as Park Avenue.
  • It diversified into denim, files and tools, and engineering through subsidiaries and joint ventures.
  • The denim joint venture with the Belgian firm UCO was later restructured.
  • In subsequent decades, the company undertook a corporate restructuring to separate its lifestyle, real estate, and engineering operations into distinct entities under the broader Raymond Group.

Operations

Raymond's principal manufacturing facilities are located at Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh, Vapi in Gujarat, Jalgaon in Maharashtra, and Bengaluru in Karnataka, among other sites. The Chhindwara complex is a key worsted suiting and garmenting hub. The company exports fabric and garments to a wide range of markets in Europe, the Americas, West Asia, and East Asia.

Corporate structure

Raymond Ltd is the listed parent of the Raymond Group. Through subsidiaries and associates, the group has interests in lifestyle products, garmenting, real estate development on the Thane land parcel, and engineering. The Singhania family is the promoter group, with Gautam Singhania serving as chairman and managing director.

Significance

Raymond is regarded as a long-standing fixture of Indian industry and consumer branding. Its advertising tagline associated with masculine elegance has been part of the country's popular culture for decades. As an integrated worsted fabric manufacturer, the company plays a notable role in India's textile value chain and in the supply of formal menswear fabric to global apparel brands.

References