Reliance Industries is restructuring its textile business. The petrochemicals-to-oil giant has decided to phase out production of sarees and dress materials under the Vimal brand, and instead will focus only on high-margin products like suitings.

K Narayan, president (textiles) of Reliance, said, "Rationalisation is an ongoing process in the textile industry and we have now decided to focus on suitings and furnishings. We have discontinued the women's wear range."

The Vimal range is one of the largest clothing and furnishings brands in India, and figures with others with high equity brands like Raymond and Bombay Dyeing.

The brand has now become only a small business in the Reliance gameplan following its focus on petrochem and oil.

The flagship has already announced it will look for a strategic partner for the textile business, but no deal has materialised as yet.

Reliance is also restructuring its Naroda unit by rationalising its workforce and phasing out old technology at the plant.

"It was imperative to become competitive in the textile industry and so we have rationalised our workforce with our employee strength going down," he said.

Though the company has no plans to offer any voluntary retirement scheme now, Narayan indicated that an ideal figure for the unit would be a workforce of anywhere between 2,200 and 2,500 (from 3,500).

Having a good market share in the non-metros, Reliance last year unveiled a new men's apparel and clothing range under the brand name 'V2'.

The company is now in the process of introducing an array of products under this brand.