In the beginning, Crocodile opted to sell singlets – a popular clothing item back then as they were easy to produce. Not long after, it ran into stiff competition from better known global brands. In order to compete, Crocodile chose a “single brand, multiple products” strategy and added shirts, trousers, underwear, ties, socks and handkerchiefs in its first year.
This was a departure from the “single brand, single product” strategy most international brands focused on back then, and helped the firm enlarge its customer base very quickly. The company expanded into footwear and travelware in the 1950s, and timepieces and eyewear in the 1960s – a strategy that no other international brands followed until the 1980s.
Crocodile brand has made its presence in numerous countries besides Singapore through licensing strategy. In its early years (1950s – 1960s), it entered into neigbouring countries such as Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Thailand and Japan and later in 1980s to Taiwan, South Korea, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh along with other Asian emerging markets such as Myanmar and Cambodia, collectively covering more than 3000 point-of-sales.
To signify the brand’s longevity and success, during Singapore’s celebration of its 50th Independence Day in 2015, Crocodile had been awarded the “SG50 Trademark Award” by the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore as a brand that grew along with Singapore in the past 50 years and was the finalist out of hundreds of home grown organizations.
