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Three year old luggage brand uppercase’s revenue zooms 6X to Rs 62 Cr

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Direct-to-consumer luggage brand uppercase has recently secured $9 million in a Series A funding round led by Accel Partners. The investment appears to be driven by the company’s rapid growth and strong unit economics. In FY24, uppercase reported a 5.8X surge in revenue while successfully reducing its losses by over 19%. Owned and operated by Acefour Accessories, it saw its revenue from operations soar to Rs 62.2 crore in FY24, up from Rs 10.7 crore in FY23, according to financial statements filed with the RoC. The sale of products—primarily eco-friendly trolleys, backpacks, and duffel bags—was the main driver of this growth, contributing 98% of the operating revenue. Additionally, the company earned Rs 1.78 crore through gains from the sale of other investments and interest on bank deposits, bringing uppercase’s total income to Rs 64 crore in FY24. When examining expenses, the cost of materials was the largest contributor, accounting for 40% of the total expenses. This cost surged 5.8X, reaching Rs 32.6 crore in FY24, up from Rs 6 crore in FY23. Advertising expenses made up 19% of total costs, increasing by 62% to Rs 15.8 crore. Employee benefit expenses grew 31% to Rs 13.6 crore in the last fiscal, with Rs 12 crore allocated to employee salaries. Selling and distribution expenses, along with legal and professional fees, were other significant costs that contributed to a 2.5X spike in total expenses, rising to Rs 83.2 crore in FY24 from Rs 32.8 crore in FY23. Due to the substantial revenue growth, uppercase was able to reduce its losses by 19.2%, bringing them down to Rs 17.55 crore in the fiscal year ending March 2024 from Rs 21.71 crore in FY23. FY23-FY24 FY23 FY24 EBITDA Margin -195.14% -29.78% Expense/₹ of Op Revenue ₹2.12 ₹1.34 ROCE -79.91% -67.45% The company’s return on Capital employed (ROCE) and EBITDA margin stood at -67.45% and -29.78%, respectively. On a per-unit basis, uppercase spent Rs 1.34 to generate Re 1 of operating income in FY24, a significant improvement from Rs 2.12 per rupee of income in FY23. uppercase sells travel gear both online and through 1,800 multi-brand stores across India. The Mumbai-based company is aiming to more than double its revenue to Rs 150 crore by FY25, with a longer-term goal of reaching Rs 500 crore by opening 250 exclusive retail stores over the next three years. uppercase faces competition from several direct-to-consumer (D2C) luggage brands, many of which have also raised significant capital over the past year. In February, Mokobara raised $12 million in a Series B funding round led by Peak XV. Assembly secured $2 million in funding, led by Prath Capital, while Nasher Miles raised $4 million in a bridge round. EUME also managed to secure funds in a seed round. It has been interesting to see a relatively low profile category like luggage draw so much attention in recent years. Ironically, a lot of it is thanks to ex-VIP hands who are helming uppercase or even leader Samsonite, for that matter. Continuing weakness at VIP seems to have opened up opportunities for other players to step in, besides innovation in terms of market segmentation. A market that is dominated by the top 3 players at over 85% share even today (VIP, Samsonite and Safari) could be wearing a very different look if the well made plans of many of these new entrants play out. Even otherwise, the market remains semi-commoditised, thanks to cheap imports, and the relative ease of picking up luggage from other markets for international travelers from India, for instance. Brand loyalty remains low in the mass segment, and it will take a significant breakthrough in terms of manufacturing, funding or branding to shift the market trajectory from a discounts and distribution based model.