Strengthening its India presence, Swedish apparel retailer Hennes & Mauritz (H&M) has opened its first store in Lucknow. The store is located in Phoenix Palassio Mall is spread over 21,600 sq. ft. It will operate with all safety measures and social distancing norms.

H&M launched its first Indian store in 2015 in Delhi. Currently, the brand has 48 stores in India across cities the Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore, Pune, Amritsar, Indore, Coimbatore, Kolkata, Mohali, Mysore, Ahmedabad, and Raipur. In future too, it will continue to open new stores in India though it will close down 250 stores globally. The company sees huge potential for growth in the Indian market and plans to open one more store in Bhubaneswar this year.

As per the data released by the Ministry of Commerce, India registered a massive increase in its apparel exports in October ’20 both on monthly as well as yearly basis.

A report by the Apparel Resources shows, India’s RMG exports increased by 10 per cent in October to $ 1.17 billion from October ’19. Similarly, India’s apparel shipments to the world also surged by 79.67 per cent on a monthly basis in October as compared to September when it shipped apparels worth just US $ 651.16 million.

However, India apparel exports during April-October ’20 period declined by 29.41 per cent from the same period of 2019 to $ 6 billion.

Though the increase in exports signals an export recovery in all major export destinations, a fresh wave of lockdown across major countries threatens to derail India’s exports in coming months.

As per a Money Control report, the shares of Reliance Industries jumped by over 3 percent in the morning session on November 23 after CCI approved Future Group-Reliance Retail deal.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) on November 10 approved the acquisition of retail, wholesale, logistics, and warehousing businesses of Future Group by Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd (RRVL) and Reliance Retail and Fashion Lifestyle Ltd.

Also, share price of Future Retail jumped 10 percent and hit upper circuit of Rs 79 per share on BSE.

The Future Group houses leading retail formats, including supermarket chain Big Bazaar, upmarket food stores Foodhall, and bargain clothing chain Brand Factory. The acquisition is being done as part of a scheme in which Future Group is merging certain companies carrying on the aforesaid businesses into Future Enterprises Ltd (FEL).

Earlier on August 29, 2020, MukeshAmbani-led Reliance Industries had announced the acquisition of businesses of Kishore Biyani's Future Group for Rs 24,713 crore.

The mega transaction cements the position of Reliance Retail as the undisputed leader in the organized retail segment and adds muscle to its ongoing battle with Amazon for the Indian e-commerce market.

Reliance Retail plans to strengthen its online platform Ajio by showcasing products of 30,000 artisans from across India. This festive season, the company showcased more than 40,000 artisan-crafted products representing over 600 art forms across a wide spectrum of clothing, textiles, handicrafts, and handmade natural goods.

Reliance plans to expand its product portfolio by adding more sellers in future. Its diversity of sourcing from across the length and breadth of India has helped the company not only create a stunning portfolio but also employ over 30,000 skilled artisans across the country.

The retail initiative of the Reliance Group, Reliance Retail has, in a short period of time, forged strong and enduring bonds with millions of consumers by providing them unlimited choice, outstanding value proposition, superior quality and unmatched experience across all its stores.

Reliance Retail has adopted a multi-prong strategy and operates chain of neighbourhood stores, supermarkets, wholesale cash & carry stores, specialty stores and online stores and has democratized access to a variety of products and services across diverse segments for Indian consumers.

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Welspun India aims to cut its debt to about Rs 2,400 crore or lower by the end of the this fiscal. As per a report by the Hindu Busines Line, the company has already repaid Rs 582 crore this fiscal and reduced its debt by Rs 2,380 core. It has announced expansion plans in its textiles division which would required additional capex.

Welspun currently has an experimental outlet ― Spaces ― in Bandra (Mumbai), which will complement its virtual experienc. Buyers can virtually visit Spaces and can buy products. The company is working closely with MBOs for branding. It has tied up with 3,000 stores for Spaces and 2,000 for Welspun that are pushing ‘HarGhar, HarDukaanWelspun’. Welspun India is among the few textile companies that have weathered traditional challenges faced by the sector and emerged as one of the largest exporters of home textiles. It has recently ventured into the flooring business and has made its mark.

Lakmé Fashion Week (LFW) recently concluded its 2020 edition. This year, the virtual event was held between October 21 and 25. Audiences were able to stream the shows live on a high-tech virtual platform, LFW Hub that had been specially created for the event.

With this digital-first edition, the organizers were able to create a captive space that replicated the elements of an on-ground LFW event. Called as the LFW Virtual Hub, this interactive digital destination was customized to the needs of all kinds of the audiences.

LFWalso created different vantage points to give viewers access to different camera angles of the show resulting in an immersive experience. Another highlight was the Virtual Showroom that allowed fashion buyers to interface directly with designers for B2B buying. The virtual hub had a shop the look feature that gave viewers Lakmé product recommendations while watching the showcases, enabling them to purchase the products immediately after the show. There was also a virtual make-up trial page where people could look at different shades of makeup on themselves. The Hub featured a 3D version of the all-new NEXA S Cross car.

LFW was also able to create designer partnerships for sustainable fibre manufacturers R-Elan and Bemberg which were highlighted through a strong influencer campaign as well as the traditional fashion showcase.

Design duo Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla have launched a new jutti collection in collaboration with footwear brand Needledust. The collection features six new styles - four juttis and two mules. The embellishments include hand-cut crystals, beading, and mirror work. The color palette ranges from classic gold and champagne to bright, rainbow hues. Mules include a square toe and an arrowhead. It’s being sold on Needledust’s dedicated e-commerce store.

Established in 1986, Abu Jani- Sandeep Khosla label and is one of the most poignant and celebrated couture houses in India and abroad. The brand is well-known for its bridal wear which encompasses intricate embroidery, embellishments, femininity and class. The eponymous design label is also best known for the revival of Indian embroidery patterns such as chikankari, zardozi and tharad especially for the modern Indian woman. The duo enjoy a great clientele a list that includes business prodigies, Bollywood A-listers, royalty and noted politicians.

Usha Yarns, the largest producer of recycled knitting yarns in India, has partnered with the Netherlands-based The Movement's Aware technology and digital platform to verify 100 per cent recycled contents across the supply chain. The company aims to utilize 100 per cent waste inputs and spun the finest quality yarns for garment use.

Started in the mid-90's, Usha Yarns has grown by following its commitment to recycling and a strong belief in the conservation of natural resources and a passion for sustainability. Today, the company produces more than 12000 MT of recycled yarns annually, which are used and trusted by many sustainable brands.

The India-based company is dedicated to progressing further and touching new milestones, in adding value and quality to recycled yarns, by achieving color and blends consistency in over 100+ colors with chemical compliance for restricted substances in their recycled yarns.

The 'Aware' yarns now have tracer fingerprints to track digitally throughout the supply chain. With the help of new traceability features in yarn, brands can offer complete transparency to its customers.

Leather goods and accessories brand NappaDori has decided to close its inaugural flagship store in HauzKhas, New Delhi following what the brand describes as a “tough year”.It was the brand’s first store and one of its favorite locations and anchor to show its humble beginnings.

The brand has a flagship store in London, UK, which is currently closed due to the ongoing nationwide lockdown in the country. NappaDori also has six other flagship stores across India including in Mumbai, Gurugram, and a destination store in the Maldives as well as a dedicated e-commerce store.

National Institute of Fashion Technology graduate GautamSinha launched NappaDori in 2010. The brand’s name means ‘leather and thread’ and Sinha launched the label with the aim of disrupting the accessories market with an offering that mixes traditional Indian leather craft and a global aesthetic.