What Farida Group does

Farida Group is a family-owned leather footwear manufacturer and exporter headquartered in Chennai, India, founded in 1957 by Haji Mecca Abdul Majid Sahib. The group operates 12 manufacturing plants across India, Ethiopia, and Bangladesh through 11 wholly-owned subsidiaries spanning three integrated business segments: tanneries (Farida Prime Tannery, Farida Tannery PLC Ethiopia), uppers manufacturing (Delta Shoes), and full shoe manufacturing (Farida Shoes, Farida Classic, India Shoes, Kenmore, Aston, Palms Unit, Nadia Shoe Bangladesh). It also operates Arcot Soles Private Limited for in-house sole fabrication (TPR, PVC, rubber, EVA). The company produces dress formals, dress casuals, sporty shoes, boots, Goodyear welted shoes, Gore-Tex waterproof shoes, sandals, and flip-flops, with a stated annual turnover of approximately $170 million USD and more than 10,000 employees.

The company manufactures exclusively for B2B customers, supplying finished leather, shoe uppers, and complete footwear under the buyer brands to major international retailers and footwear brands including Timberland, Diechman, Clarks, and Marks & Spencers. Products are exported to more than 40 countries, with Europe accounting for approximately 47% of group sales, Asia Pacific 26-27%, and North America 26-27%. The technology stack includes a SATRA-certified testing lab with INSTRON universal testing machines, CAD/CAM design facilities, ERP systems branded as Eureka (SCM, HRM, CRM, 5S, Training), and ISO 9001:2015 certification from Bureau Veritas. Production capacity exceeds 42,000 pairs per day across product categories.

The group is led by the Mecca family, with founder-son Rafeeque Ahmed Mecca as Chairperson (since 1996; Padma Shri awardee in 2011) and four sons serving as Managing Directors across subsidiaries. The revenue model is pure B2B contract manufacturing with no direct-to-consumer channel; pricing is not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is sales-led, leveraging 40+ years of export relationships, industry association memberships (CLE, FIEO, FICCI, CII, ASOCHAM, SISMA, ISF, IFLEMA, EFSI), and produced-to-spec capacity at competitive cost relative to non-Indian manufacturing.

Name

Farida Group

Legal name

Farida Shoes Private Limited

Website

https://farida.co.in

Company type

Private

Founded year

1957

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Farida Group is a family-owned Indian leather footwear contract manufacturer exporting men's and women's shoes, boots, and finished leather to international brands like Timberland, Clarks, and Marks & Spencers across 40+ countries through 12 plants in India, Ethiopia, and Bangladesh.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Leather Footwear Manufacturing

NAICS

Footwear Manufacturing (316210), Footwear Manufacturing (3162), Leather and Hide Tanning and Finishing (31611)

SIC

Footwear, (No Rubber) (3140), Leather & Leather Products (3100)

akta.pro primary industry

Footwear Manufacturing (OEM/ODM & Private Label) (CRAAACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Dress & Formal Footwear Manufacturing (IMAOAIAC), Sandals, Flip-Flops & Open-Toe Footwear Manufacturing (IMAOAIAG), Footwear Components & Materials (Uppers, Soles, Laces, Insoles) (CRAAACAK)

Keywords

• Leather footwear manufacturing
• Footwear OEM exporter
• Leather processing
• Upper components production
• Contract footwear manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Chennai

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Leather and Footwear Manufacturing & Export: The company manufactures and markets high quality men's & women's footwear and finished leather through three main business segments: tanneries (leather), uppers, and shoe manufacturing units. Products are sold under popular brand names in more than 40 countries globally. Major products include finished leather for the fashion industry, uppers, and men's & women's formal and casual shoes. Revenue is generated through B2B export sales to international branded retailers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Farida Group is a leather footwear manufacturing conglomerate that produces finished leather shoes through three integrated segments: tanneries, upper components, and finished shoe manufacturing. The company operates 12 manufacturing plants across India and Ethiopia, exporting to 40+ countries and supplying major international footwear brands such as Timberland, Clarks, Marks & Spencer, and Diechman.

Product overview

Farida Group is a leather footwear manufacturing conglomerate operating through a multi-brand, multi-unit architecture. The company operates three main business segments: tanneries (producing finished leather), uppers manufacturing, and full shoe manufacturing. The portfolio includes 12 manufacturing facilities across India and Ethiopia under brands such as Farida Shoes, Farida Classic, India Shoes, Kenmore Shoes, Aston Shoes, Palms Unit, and Nadia Shoe, producing dress formals, casuals, boots, sandals, and specialty items like Gore tex waterproof shoes and Goodyear welted shoes. The group also operates Arcot Soles for sole fabrication and Farida Prime Tannery for leather production, with products sold under popular brand names in more than 40 countries globally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Farida Shoes: Main footwear brand under Farida Shoes Private Limited, producing dress formals, dress casuals, sporty shoes and boots.
• Farida Classic
• India Shoes
• Stanford Shoes
• Eureka
• PALMS SCM
• Arcot Soles

Products and services

• Leather footwear (manufacturing) Finished leather shoes — including formal, casual, and safety footwear categories — manufactured for international footwear brands and retailers as private-label and contract production. Produced across 12 manufacturing plants in India and Ethiopia and supplied to customers in 40+ countries.
• Leather tanning services Processing and finishing of leather as part of the group's vertically integrated supply chain, supplying raw material inputs to the upper-making and finished shoe manufacturing facilities.
• Upper components production Manufacture of upper components for leather footwear, serving as the intermediate stage between tanning and finished shoe assembly within the group's integrated production system.

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Central Leather Research InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partnership for footwear technology innovation and development. Farida R&D department collaborates with CLRI for industry-institute collaboration projects, with focus on low-cost innovation in footwear manufacturing.
• Footwear Design & Development Institute (FDDI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership for talent identification and footwear technology research. FDDI students can engage in projects with Farida R&D.
• Central Footwear Training Institute (CFTI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraining institute partnership for footwear industry skills development and student project opportunities.
• Anna UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partnership for research collaboration and human resource identification in engineering and technology domains.
• National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFashion technology institute partnership for design collaboration and specialized footwear design talent.
• Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPremier institute partnership for advanced research and technology innovation projects in footwear manufacturing.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• Pou Chen Corporation: World's largest footwear OEM by volume (Taiwan-based). Comparable as a global contract footwear manufacturer serving Nike, Adidas, and others — relevant scale benchmark even though Asia-based and far larger.
• Yue Yuen International: Largest listed footwear OEM (Hong Kong), majority owner of Pou Sheng retail. Highly comparable contract manufacturing model for global athletic and casual footwear brands.
• Farida Group (parent: Tata International — Leather & Footwear business): Indian conglomerate subsidiary with significant leather goods and footwear manufacturing and global sourcing operations. Comparable as a large Indian conglomerate-run footwear manufacturer serving global brands, though only a portion of Tata's broader portfolio.

Direct peers

• Stella International: Hong Kong-listed global footwear OEM for dress, casual, and boots. Closest comparable on formals/casuals product mix, multi-country Asian manufacturing footprint, and B2B export to global brands.
• Superhouse Group: Indian integrated leather and footwear manufacturer with tannery, components, and finished shoe divisions. Comparable to Farida on vertical integration from raw hide to finished shoes and export-led B2B model.
• Hwaseung Enterprise: Korean footwear manufacturer with global production (Vietnam, China, Indonesia). Comparable as athletic and casual footwear OEM serving global brands with multi-country manufacturing footprint.
• Mirza International: Listed Indian leather footwear and finished leather manufacturer (Red Tape, Mosh, Tuscany). Direct comparable on OEM/ODM leather footwear exports, integrated tannery-to-shoe operations, and Indian manufacturing base serving global brands.
• Powerland Group: Indian leather footwear and accessories manufacturer with integrated facilities. Comparable on Indian manufacturing base, leather footwear production, and export-led B2B model to international brands.
• Liberty Shoes: Indian footwear manufacturer with own retail and contract manufacturing. Comparable on Indian footwear manufacturing base, similar product mix (formals, casuals), and family-owned governance characteristics.

Regional players

• Relaxo Footwears: Indian footwear manufacturer focused on mass-market domestic brands (Bata, School, Flite). Comparable as Indian footwear manufacturer with significant scale, though primarily domestic retail rather than export OEM.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/faridagroups
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/farida-group-private-limited

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Farida Group