Introduction

The aim of this report is to evaluate the international business expansion of Kaveri, an Indian, boutique style clothing retailer specializing in linen designer fashions. The brand is currently established in India and Sri Lanka and aims to expand in to the European market by targeting the Asian expat community living in the European region. Considering the number of Asian expats who are interested in ‘desi inspired fashion’, and the growing demand for Asian fashions in Europe all around, this expansion can be considered to be coming in at the right time at the right place.
“Kaveri” is a designer, linen, women’s clothing brand that was launched by Kaveri, a renowned fashion designer in India. The basis of the brand is comfortable, easy, and durable fashion, and the key differentiator of the products are that all clothing items are exclusively made using Linen (byKaveri, 2018). The brand is committed towards ethical sourcing and sustainability and focuses on promoting linen clothing as opposed to synthetic clothing, in order to reduce pollution caused by micro fibers.
With this objective, the brand aims to expand into the United Kingdom, one of the biggest markets in Europe. The brand aims to use a model of collaborations with existing retailers in the country, which has proven to be successful in it expansion towards Sri Lanka. However, it must be noted that the culture, tastes and brand values of European retailers would be a lot more different from the likes of Sri Lanka, and Kaveri must take these cultural differences in to heavy consideration before embarking on its expansion.
Thus, in evaluating the expansion of Kaveri, to Great Britain, this report will initially look at a review of the existing literature in terms of expanding a boutique style Indian brand in to Europe. The review will look at case studies of similar nature, as well as applying basic theories in terms of evaluating the suitability of the selected expansion destination, coming up with a comprehensive analysis of the potential and existing risks. The report will use this discussion as a basis to analyze the most suitable mode of entry in to the country, followed by the management responses to be used in order to make use of the opportunities offered by the new market. These analyses will be used as a base to provide recommendations in terms of establishing a competitive advantage for Kaveri in the British market.