Meet Hari Krishan Agarwal: Self made Man who Built Leading Footwear Brand Campus valued more than 10000 crores

Meet Hari Krishan Agarwal: Hari Krishan Agarwal, the founder of Campus Activewear, is a self-made entrepreneur who has made a name for himself in the footwear industry. From humble beginnings, he has built a successful business that has become a household name in India. His commitment to quality, innovation, and customer satisfaction has been instrumental in the success of Campus Activewear. Agarwal’s story is a reminder that with passion, determination, and a strong work ethic, anything is possible.

Agarwal’s entrepreneurial journey began in 1983 when he created the “Action” sports shoe business. Action sports shoes became quite famous, especially in the school kids segment. Observing the vacuum present in the cheap and durable segment of the Indian footwear industry, he got the idea to penetrate into this segment. In 2006, he introduced “Campus” athletic sneakers for under Rs 1000. Campus’ low prices enabled it to compete with worldwide brands such as Nike, Adidas, and Puma, which offer sports shoes for upwards of Rs 3000.

Campus Activewear is known for its trendy designs, high-quality materials, and affordable prices, and it has a wide range of shoes for men, women, and children. The brand is particularly popular among college students and young professionals who value style and comfort.  H K Agarwal took advantage of a significant gap in the Indian sports shoe market—in the price range of Rs 1000 to Rs 3000.

Growth Story of Campus Activewear

Hari Krishan Agarwal founded Campus Activewear Ltd in 1983 under the brand name Action Footwear. It was launched in 2006 as a lifestyle-oriented sports and athleisure brand with an extensive product line for the whole family. Some major milestones in the successful journey of Campus Activewear are given below:

• The company reached the INR 100 crore revenue milestone in the fiscal year 2011-2012.
• Improving its marketing game in 2015, the company hired Varun Dhawan as its brand ambassador.
• In 2017, the company opened 16 exclusive retail stores and entered the E-commerce industry with prominent marketplaces.
• In 2018, TPG Growth and Havells Group made investments in Campus Activewear.
• Campus Activewear captured a 15% market share in the footwear industry in FY20 in terms of value.
• In the financial year 2021, Campus Activewear covered more than 85% of the total market for sports and athleisure.
• Campus revenue in 2020 became $95 Million.
• Campus Activewear sold 13 million pairs in 2021 earning revenue of 94 Million Dollars

Current Footprint of Campus Activewear

According to an April 2022 report from a consulting firm, Campus Footwear became India’s largest sports and athleisure (fusion of athletic and leisure) footwear brand in FY21. Campus Activewear has become the largest sports and athleisure footwear brand in India, both in terms of volume and value. The company has a presence in almost all states and around 700 cities in India. The company has over 15,000 geo-tagged multi-brand retail stores and over 35 company-owned exclusive outlets.

Campus Activewear is also available in large format stores like Walmart, Vishal Retail, Reliance Smart among others, and all the leading e-commerce portals. Today, Campus is India’s largest sports and casual footwear brand, selling over 15 million pairs per year. As of 2022, Campus Activewear has a 17% market share by value and nearly 25% by volume. The valuation of Campus Activewear is approx 1.5 Billion Dollars (more than 10000 crore rupees).

Hari Krishan Agarwal’s family assist him in running the large-scale footwear business. His son, Nikhil Aggarwal is the CEO of the company. His daughter-in-law, Prerna, is the chief marketing officer of Campus Activewear. Agarwal’s wife was on the company’s board until September 2021, where used to drive supply chain efforts and a fabricator network for Campus’ sports shoes.