Lotto returns to India with a relaxed pitch: fitness without the hustle

Most sportswear brands thrive on hustle culture. They tell you to run, sprint, lift, hustle, build a community, go big or go home. The messaging is relentless: win at all costs.

Lotto wants you to relax.

The 52-year-old Italian brand, known globally for footwear and apparel, is relaunching in India with a refreshing proposition: fitness can be fun, and sport should be joyful, not stressful.

Cricketers Yuvraj Singh and Abhishek Sharma banter while trying to learn Italian and do their best to teach instructor Enrico some Punjabi. Nobody takes themselves seriously. There is no chest-thumping, no winning mantra. If it were not for the logo on their clothes, you would not even know it is an ad.

“Our purpose is to bring the joy of sport back and not just harp on this idea of winning,” says Shiba Butani, brand director at Agilitas, which owns Lotto’s rights in India, South Africa and Australia.

This is not Lotto’s first innings in India. The brand has had a presence for nearly two decades but without much visibility in recent years. Now, under Agilitas, which has a 40-year licence starting 2024, Lotto is preparing for a fresh start. Agilitas, through its footwear arm Mochiko, will manufacture Lotto shoes in India, and lead its design, sales and marketing.

The relaunch is anchored around a key target: the everyday athlete. Someone who enjoys fitness but is not chasing extreme performance. 

Agilitas is starting with Lotto Leggenda, a premium sneaker range inspired by iconic designs from the seventies, eighties and nineties, priced between Rs 5,000 and Rs 6,000. 

“We are calling ourselves accessible premium,” says Butani. “Not bottom of the pyramid, but mid-tier. We are accessible but not overly expensive.”

Butani believes the retro aesthetic will resonate with younger Indian consumers, many of whom are unfamiliar with Lotto’s European heritage. “We want to reintroduce the brand through high-quality products, layered with culturally topical designs for India,” she says.

Of course, the category is crowded. From direct-to-consumer brands like Comet and The Souled Store, to global giants Nike, Puma and Adidas, and new entrants like New Balance and Foot Locker, competition is intense.

The sneaker market was worth $3.88 billion in FY24 and is set to hit nearly $6 billion by FY32, says Kotak Securities adding that sneakers make up 20-25% of the Indian footwear market. 

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But Agilitas is bullish. Its co-founder and CEO Abhishek Ganguly previously led Puma India for 18 years, helping it become the country’s largest sports brand. Now, Agilitas aims to make Lotto a Rs 1,000 crore brand within five years.

“Putting it out there creates accountability for us,” says Butani. “If you are not ambitious, you are not satisfied as people.”

Footwear will be Lotto’s growth engine, accounting for the bulk of sales, while apparel and accessories will follow. Distribution will span online marketplaces, multi-brand outlets like Shoppers Stop and Lifestyle, and eventually Lotto’s own exclusive stores.

Interestingly, Lotto’s relaunch video was made entirely in-house, with a conscious decision to make it relatable beyond the metro cities. “I could have gone for a sophisticated Italian heritage film but I chose it to break the Tier I barriers and go deeper into the country,” she says. 

Lotto may be preaching ease, but its ambitions for India are anything but relaxed.