Aero Group’s A Skating Monk plans international expansion

Aero Group’s streetwear inspired brand A Skating Monk plans to expand internationally in countries such as Hong Kong, South Africa, and Canada. The brand also plans to open numerous pop-ups as it continues to penetrate the Indian market. 

Aero Group also runs outdoors themed footwear and lifestyle brand Woodland. A Skating Monk and Woodland collaborate and A Skating Monk is designed to bring in customers from new demographics with a focus on Gen Z shoppers who are focused on fashion and youth culture. 
 
A Skating Monk currently retails through pop-ups in 60 Woodland stores in Tier 1 and 2 cities in India. For its international expansion, the brand plans to open similar pop-ups in countries where Woodland has a retail presence, CEO Gagandeep Singh told Indian Retailer Bureau. The brand is eyeing annual sales of Rs 10 crore and expects international expansion to further boost sales. 

A Skating Monk started out as a direct to customer brand and gained its initial foothold in cities including Kolkata, Jaipur, and Delhi. Where Chandigarh used to represent its largest market, A Skating Monk now counts Bombay, Kochi, and Kolkata as its main markets and has done for the past year. 
 
“A Skating Monk has a different target audience of 16-25-year-olds, but they get the same qualitative assurance of Woodland,” Singh told Indian Retailer Bureau. “A Skating Monk shoes are made in the same factories as that of Woodland and have very similar workforce, whose products have been known to be sturdy. We mix fashion with high quality.”