Known for its design-driven, cultural potpourri of collections for primarily French buyers, buying office Francis Wacziarg, named after its late owner, reflects the desire of Wacziarg to bring his adopted country India, into the markets of Europe. Yet, a true businessman, the soft spoken Frenchman was intelligent enough to know that India could not offer price-sensitive basic products that are also essential to complete a collection, so Bangladesh became a hunting ground for core programmes from 1979, and in sweaters, as early as
1989-90.
A cultural ambassador, Wacziarg’s affinity for the subcontinent was well known and he tapped into the strength of each country to present the best to buyers in France.
Working primarily for the French market, with only 10% of business for other European buyers, Francis Wacziarg has a supplier base of 20-25 vendors all over the country, divided into two types: one, the active vendors that do around 15 orders per season, and the second, the less active ones who cater to around 5-7 orders per season
“A few years after starting the business from India, Wacziarg started visiting Bangladesh and placing orders for sweaters to local agents, but with the office coming up in 2002 we began expanding our product reach beyond basic items,”shares Akhilesh Kumar Singh, Branch Manager, Francis Wacziarg Agency Pvt. Ltd. Today, the buying office has an extensive catalogue for sweaters ranging from intarsia, jacquard, cotton, acrylic, wool, blends, basic and value-added, alongside small quantities of home furnishings and leather goods which it sources from the country. Last year, goods worth US $ 4.6 million were shipped from the Bangladesh office, and the company is targeting US $ 7 million for the current year.
Working primarily for the French market, with only 10% of business for other European buyers, the sourcing office has a supplier base of 20-25 vendors all over the country, divided into two types, one the active vendors that do around 15 orders per season, and the less active ones who cater to around 5-7 orders per season. Even after 12 years in business, the pursuit of quality is still a challenge and a dedicated QC team closely monitors the progress of an order right from the product development phase. “Our Quality Control division is kept in the loop with the technicians as the samples are developed from the technical files sent by the buyer, unlike in India where we have our own PD team. To ensure quality, we have a small lab to check all the physical parameters of the garment. Even if the buyer has nominated a third party audit we ensure that our QC does the inspection first,” elaborates Akhilesh who has an experience of over 17 years across both countries.
The buying office has an extensive catalogue for sweaters ranging from intarsia, jacquard, cotton, acrylic, wool, blends, basic and value added, alongside small quantities of home furnishings and leather goods which it sources from the country. Last year, goods worth US $ 4.6 million were shipped from the Bangladesh office and the company is targeting US $ 7 million for the current year
With an average lead time of 90 days, the buying office is dependent on the performance and commitment of its suppliers for its success. “Based on the volume of business,we routinely give to our vendors orders and they reserve an appropriate capacity for us based on the understanding, therefore eliminating the chances of a situation where the order cannot be placed with a vendor due to lack of capacity. Hence they plan their capacities in advance and keep them free as required,” elucidates Akhilesh. One of the reasons to work with a dedicated vendor base is the lack of commitment often seen in the medium-sized manufacturers who do not hesitate to pull out or put on hold the order even after the production has begun because they get another programme which gives them bigger profits.
The buying office, associates mostly with BSES and Oeko-Tex certified factories since it is a chief requirement for European buyers, also Francis works with mostly A-Grade suppliers having vertical or composite setups. They have already been audited by Accord, and in some cases asked to make modifications to be fire and health safety compliant. While appreciating the Accord and Alliance initiatives, which Akhilesh clarifies are technically very sound, he still has reservations. “The initiatives still have to achieve the edge of practicality. For example to implement one compliant electrical system, one has to buy instruments worth Tk. 30-40 lakhs. One can cope with that, however the time given for the complete installation is extremely short. And that is where the situation can be made less haggling, achievable and mutually beneficial,” advocates Akhilesh.
The buying office is now exploring new sourcing hubs like Pakistan, Vietnam and Cambodia. “We will continue to do business in Bangladesh, but being an MNC we try and find out different sourcing options for our customers, especially with wages in Bangladesh on the increase,” concludes Akhilesh.
Bharat Tex Special Report 2026 
