beyondbrics

Nobody wants to miss the emerging market consumer bandwagon. And that includes the increasingly cash-conscious University of Oxford.

The 800-year old British university is lining up University of Oxford branded products for sale in China, India and Brazil in the next two years. Selling apparel, home linen, educational toys and back to school items to increasingly affluent middle class consumers in the emerging markets, its commercial arm hopes to help soften the impact of looming cuts in UK government funding.

“The University of Oxford enjoys a worldwide reputation and could be considered to be as famous as luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton and Ralph Lauren in terms of brand awareness,” Chris Evans, managing director of Oxford Limited, the university’s commercial arm, told beyondbrics.

“However, this exclusive positioning does not mirror the University’s inclusive nature, so Oxford Limited has purposely set out to develop a mid-market premium brand, which in India will retail in mid-tier malls alongside other consumer brands such as the US Polo Association,” he added.

Oxford Limited has signed up with a licensing agent to scout for manufacturing partners and retail formats for the its products. Targeting the educated middle classes, University of Oxford branded goods would be sold at a premium to other non-branded products in India’s many shiny new shopping malls.

The University has a long-established presence through its branded stores across Europe and North America, but it is only now that the University is making a big push into the emerging markets. Standalone stores in China’s main cities are set to open this fall, Evans said, although he wouldn’t say which cities. Licensed products would be available in India and Brazil by next year.

The University is looking at South Africa, the Middle East and Russia for further expansion but Oxford Limited would wait to see the results of the latest deals in India and Brazil before venturing into those markets, Evans said.

The University has a powerful place in Indian life. Many prominent Indians, including Manmohan Singh, the current prime minister, were educated there. But that doesn’t mean people will automatically buy its branded goods.

“Oxford is one of the most prestigious universities in the world but I am not a really brand person. So I will not buy it [their products] because of Oxford University brand, but if I like the design and it is reasonably priced I will,” said Sonia Kandey, a resident of Nagpur, a city in central India.

Related reading:
University of Oxford to launch merchandise in India, The Times of India
Disney looks to expand in India, FT
India: putting pension funds to work in the stock market, beyondbrics