Luggage retail brand Witco shuts down business due to COVID-19 and restrictions

“The decision to close down this business was not an easy one, but unfortunately due to COVID-19 and the restrictions on international travel it was not sustainable for us,” the 70-year-old brand said in a statement

Witco (India) Pvt Limited, one of the oldest retail brands from Chennai, has wound up its business due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “We regret to inform you that we have closed down our business. The decision to close down this business was not an easy one, but unfortunately due to COVID-19 and the restrictions on international travel it was not sustainable for us,” the 70-year-old brand, which sold luggage and bags, said in a note on its official website on Thursday. “We would like to thank all of our customers and our esteemed clientele for their patronage over the last 70 years,” it added. The firm's managing director V.P. Harris, told The Hindu, “We shut down our operations in January itself. What really happened was last March [2020] when the first lockdown was announced we (the family) sat together and evaluated the business and we found that international travel will not happen for a long time.”