To achieve its goal, the company plans to introduce the first Mc Jeans concept store in a stand-alone location next year, said Sunee Seripanu, the managing director of PK Garment Import-Export Co.

The products displayed at the concept store will be totally unlike those available at counter sales in department stores, she said.

The company plans to spend 50 million baht to increase the number of Mc Jeans shops to 60 by the end of this year, up from 40 last year. The company aims to have 100 shops within two or three years.

''We want our brand to be recognised as the national brand, the way we think of Edwin in Japan or the Lea brand in Indonesia,'' said Ms Sunee.

PK Garment will also expand its products to have a premium line and to cover more customer groups, particularly teenagers. The company plans to spend 100 million baht this year on its marketing activities, with more than half spent on activities for teenagers. ''We are adjusting our brand image of Mc to become jeans for all customer groups, from jeans for working people,'' she said.

About 20% of Mc customers are teenagers but the percentage is expected to hit 40% within three years.

This year the company will switch from its focus on jeans to explore opportunities in shirts and jackets, she said.

As PK Garment has limited experience in these products, it is may outsource production. Hong Kong is one of the sources of fabrics for its premium lines.

The company aims to expand its sales by 20% this year. Mc Jeans sales in 2009 rose by about 20% from 2008 to 1.5 billion baht, beating normal growth of 10-15% as consumers switched from international brands to value-for-money products. Sales are expected to reach 2 billion baht by 2011.

The company plans to increase prices for some products this year by 15% because raw materials have become more expensive, said Ms Sunee. The company also expects to enlarge its distribution centre in Suan Luang, Bangkok, in the second quarter of this year to 30,000 square metres.