Reliance Retail to open over 1,000 ‘Yousta’ stores in two years

Embarking on an aggressive expansion, Reliance Retail plans to open over 1,000 stores of its value retail brand Yousta within the next two years.

Launched in Aug’23, Yousta aims to open a new store every few days to compete with Trent’s Zudio. The brand currently operates 55 stores across 27 cities in India. Akhilesh Prasad, President & CEO - Fashion & Lifestyle, Reliance Retail, states, the company plans to expand by a few hundred stores within a year, covering various regions.

Currently the market leader, Zudio boasted of 559 stores as of June 30, 2024, while Shoppers Stop's Intune had 31, and Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail’s Style Up had 30.

Besides store network, Yousta also plans to expand its product portfolio beyond apparel to include cosmetics and accessories. The brand has already ventured into footwear and accessories and aims to expand further.

With competition heating up in the value retail space, the brand aims to target the 16-25 age group to boost sales, adds Prasad.