“A lot of international investors who have signed MoUs (memorandum of understandings) for investments in Tamil Nadu are raising concerns even with us. One thing I want to assure them of is that this state has seen policy continuity for the last three decades. Moreover, Tamil Nadu has a strong bureaucratic line-up that ensures that industry is not affected. Hence, international companies have nothing to worry about the current political developments in the state,” said Jinnah Rafiq Ahmed, Executive Chairman, Kothari Industrial Corporation (KICL).
In the non-leather footwear sector, KICL has partnered with Taiwan-based Evervan – Shoe Town Group, which is the third-largest contract manufacturing group known for innovative product manufacturing for global brands such as Crocs, Adidas and the like. The joint venture is known as Phoenix Kothari Footwear Ltd. And, the joint venture has 22 international investors for global components manufacturing companies from Taiwan, China, Korea and other parts of the world. They are going to start the construction in the park soon and KICL is the licensee for Kicker European fashion and footwear brand for India and 9 countries. Kickers is a global brand. Significantly enough, Shiek Falah Bin Jassim Althani is a shareholder in the name of FJ Global in KICL. “That a Qatar ruling family is interested in investing more in the growth of the company reflects the trust they have reposed in Tamil Nadu as a whole,” he said.
