Perambalur Phoenix Kothari footwear park to open soon
The inauguration of the facility is scheduled for November 28.
CHENNAI: The Perambalur facility of JR One Footwear Pvt. Ltd., a joint venture between Phoenix Kothari Footwear Ltd. and Shoetown, to make Crocs brand of footwear is set to go on stream soon.
The facility is coming up on 50-acre, at the footwear park developed by Phoenix Kothari Footwear Ltd., a joint venture between Kothari Industrial Corporation Ltd. (KICL) and Evervan group of Taiwan.
The inauguration of the facility is scheduled for November 28. The foundation stone for the factory was laid on November 28, 2022, by the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, MK Stalin.
The facility is going on stream just ahead of the ensuing Global Investor Summit being hosted here in the first week of January. “The factory has been built in a record time of one year. This stands as a testament to the dedication and efficiency of the Phoenix Kothari Footwear team and its commitment,” said J Rafiq Ahmed, chairman, Phoenix Kothari Footwear.
The factory will specialise in producing Crocs brand of footwear. The JR One facility is expected to generate employment to around 4,000 people in and around the region. The Phoenix-Kothari Footwear Park, as a whole, has the potential to employ over 50,000 people.
Besides JR One Footwear, the park developed by Phoenix Kothari Footwear has attracted global clusters. Already, several MoUs (memorandum of understandings) with well-known players in the footwear field have been initiated to establish factories in and around Eraiyur in Perambalur district. The cluster approach in setting up the footwear park signifies a shift towards reducing import reliance and fostering indigenous footwear production. Phoenix Kothari Footwear has, in fact, tied up with internationally renowned brands such as Nike, Adidas, Puma and Skechers.
The Guidance Tamil Nadu had already signed 10 MoUs with the Phoenix Kothari Footwear and its 10 affiliated companies, including those from Taiwan, for an investment of Rs 740 crore. Earlier, Guidance Tamil Nadu had signed two MoUs committing an investment of Rs 1,700 crore with Phoenix Kothari Footwear on August 23, 2022, after the government unveiled a separate policy for footwear and leather goods manufacturing.