Fri, 19 May 2000

Limited Levi's for Jakarta residents

JAKARTA (JP): Amid the endless business and security uncertainties in Indonesia, particularly in the capital, Jakarta, one of the world's leading garment producers, Chicago-based Levi Strauss & Co, has decided to launch its new millennium products here.

"We are offering a limited supply of 5,000 units of men's and women's jeans, men's jackets, overall dresses and skirts.

The items are only available at six of our 14 outlets in Jakarta," country manager of PT Levi Strauss Indonesia Iwan Winanda said in a statement on Wednesday.

According to Iwan, the new products -- labeled by the company as Levi's ergonomic engineered jeans -- bring extreme changes to users compared to the old models because the design and materials allow users to move more freely.

"Besides being comfortable, the new items, which always follow the movement of the body, are also fashionable," he said.

The new products, with price tags ranging from Rp 400,000 (US$47) to Rp 600,000 have been on sale since May 10 at Levi outlets at the Plaza Senayan shopping center, Sogo department store at Plaza Senayan, Plaza Indonesia, Pondok Indah Mall, Kelapa Gading Mall and Mal Taman Anggrek shopping mall.

"The prices here are much cheaper than in Singapore," Iwan said, adding that the cheapest item in Singapore was about Rp 700,000.

The products for the Jakarta market were tailored in Hong Kong, he explained.

Indonesia is among the latest countries to have received new Levi's products.

"The products were launched in Europe late last year, and subsequently in several other countries, such as Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore," Iwan said.

PT Levi Strauss Indonesia, he said, strongly hoped that the business, security and political uncertainties in Indonesia could come to an end soon.

"Otherwise, it's hard for anyone to run their business appropriately here," Iwan said, adding that total sales increased 40 percent last year compared to 1998.

The contribution of the Levi office in Indonesia "is still very, very small, particularly since the (mid-1997) economic crisis. It's less than 5 percent of Levi's worldwide sales," he said. (bsr)