06 December 2025, Mumbai

The grand opening of The Bear House at the Mall of Faridabad signals a massive shift by India's digital-first, affordable luxury menswear brands to high-street and mall retail in the National Capital Region (NCR) satellite cities. This strategic move allows the brand to tap into the estimated $38.8 billion Indian menswear market, which is projected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 7.4 per cent through 2033.

Beginning as a digital-first, Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) brand, The Bear House is now executing an aggressive omnichannel rollout, aiming for 25 new stores this financial year across India. This retail expansion is fueled by the brand’s phenomenal growth,which saw its revenue approach Rs 162 crore in FY22-23.

The store gives the brand’s online community a space to experience the premium quality and versatile fits, says Harsh Somaiya, Co-founder. The opening validates the Mall of Faridabad's position as a regional retail hub capable of attracting and sustaining high-growth, modern brands, cementing the city's status as a key destination for organized retail expansion in the NCR.

The Bear House is a contemporary Indian menswear brand specializing in smart casuals and elevated everyday essentials (shirts, polos, denim). Launched in 2017 by Harsh and Tanvi Somaiya, the Bengaluru-based company grew rapidly as a digital-first brand, building an omnichannel presence across major e-commerce platforms. Currently in an aggressive expansion phase, the brand plans to open 25 more stores this fiscal year and has a long-term goal of global expansion (with a recent opening in Dubai).

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06 December 2025, Mumbai

Ethnicwear brand Mulmul opened a new store in South Extension, New Delhi. This launch is a key milestone in their concerted effort to establish meaningful offline touchpoints and enhance their omnichannel presence, directly addressing the evolving behavior of India's affluent consumer base. Known for its fine quality cotton and handcrafted mulmul (muslin) apparel, Mulmul is positioning these physical stores to validate its premium product offering.

For a digital-first brand like Mulmul, expanding into high-street locations serves a crucial function: allowing customers to physically experience the fabrics and intricate details of the garments, which is essential for luxury and premium fashion. This approach is vital as online brands transition to stable growth; physical stores reduce return rates and increase average transaction values. India's apparel retail sector continues to be dominated by offline sales, making these exclusive brand outlets (EBOs) indispensable components of the brand's long-term growth plan to compete with established legacy brands.

The decision to open a store in a high-rent district like South Extension underscores Mulmul’s confidence in its brand equity and financial performance. This expansion plan is focused on leveraging physical spaces to build community and drive brand loyalty, a common strategy for successful Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) brands globally. The New Delhi store will function as a case study for future openings, demonstrating how a specialized niche brand can successfully scale its operations and navigate the high costs and logistical challenges associated with physical retail expansion.

This move is not just about sales; it’s about brand perception. By placing its stores alongside established luxury retailers, Mulmul is solidifying its position in the premium segment. This strategic retail footprint is essential for D2C players aiming to break through the digital clutter and capture a larger share of the resilient and growing Indian ethnic wear market.

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05 December 2025, Mumbai 

Marking a strategic commitment by its parent company, Jack and Jones recently opened its first two standalone stores in the UAE. The stores were opened at Al Wahda Mall, Abu Dhabi, and City Centre Al Zahia, Sharjah. This move prioritizes direct-to-consumer (B2C) growth in the Middle East.

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Historically, the brand has operated through wholesale distribution and local partnerships. This strategic shift to dedicated physical stores is designed to capture a larger portion of the UAE's highly competitive and affluent apparel market, which serves as a regional retail gateway to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) bloc.

Founded in 1990 and recognized globally for its denim and casual menswear, Jack & Jones is leveraging these new UAE stores as crucial vehicles for delivering the full, immersive brand experience.

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Establishing this B2C footprint is vital for boosting brand awareness and complementing its existing market presence.

Entering the UAE, one of the world’s most dynamic fashion markets, involves substantial operational challenges, including intense competition and the necessity of creating localized product assortments to satisfy diverse consumer tastes.

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However, this expansion is supported by Bestseller’s strong fiscal performance, which provides the necessary capital for this aggressive growth.

The success of the Abu Dhabi and Sharjah outlets will be critical. They will function as a case study for the future rollout of more stores across the Gulf, proving the company’s capabilities as a true retailer in a highly demanding global environment.

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06 December 2025, Mumbai

Fast-growing innerwear and athleisure private label of Nykaa Fashion, Nykd by Nykaa, has significantly expanded its physical presence, announcing five new store openings—including strategic entries in HiLITE Mall (Thrissur and Calicut) and Zora The Mall (Raipur). This brings its total store count to 27 across India.

This rapid retail blitz is part of a larger, deliberate omnichannel strategy to establish Nykd as a dominant, accessible brand in the booming Indian innerwear market, currently valued at over $4.4 billion.

The aggressive expansion of Nykd's Exclusive Brand Outlets (EBOs) is central to Nykaa Fashion's overarching goal of achieving EBITDA break-even by the end of FY26.

Nykd, which focuses on ‘everyday comfort’ across lingerie, sleepwear, and activewear, has emerged as the strongest performer among Nykaa’s five fashion brands, boasting an annualized Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) run rate of over ₹170 crore and crossing the ₹100 crore revenue milestone in FY25.

The physical stores, designed as "comfort-first spaces," leverage Nykaa's robust omnichannel model. The company's profitable store network has delivered strong GMV growth (over 31% Year-over-Year), reinforcing the value of the 'phygital' strategy.

By expanding into high-footfall Tier-2 cities like Jabalpur and Raipur, Nykd is successfully capitalizing on rising disposable incomes and increasing demand for branded, high-quality, non-discounted innerwear (the brand maintains an approximately single-digit discount policy).

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05 December 2025, Mumbai 

TechnoSport aims to seize a larger share of India’s booming sportswear market by expanding its double its EBO count from 28 to 50 by 2025-end. The brand is currently launching its largest EBO at Sarath City Capital Mall in Hyderabad. This expansion is strategically focused on key metro areas and the high-potential markets of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, with new locations planned for cities like Vizag and Rajahmundry.

This concerted growth effort is perfectly timed to capitalize on surging market dynamics. The Indian sportswear segment is forecasted to achieve a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) exceeding 15 per cent through 2028. This growth is being fueled by twin forces: a nationwide spike in health and fitness awareness and the persistent popularity of athleisure, which has blended athletic wear into everyday fashion.

TechnoSport's core business model directly addresses the value-conscious middle-class consumer. The brand is known for offering performance wear featuring international-grade quality at highly competitive prices. The new Hyderabad location serves as a crucial showcase, allowing customers to fully experience its product range, which features proprietary technologies like advanced moisture-wicking and quick-dry fabrics - essential features for attracting today’s discerning shoppers.

While TechnoSport maintains a robust online presence, this substantial investment in brick-and-mortar stores highlights management's conviction that the apparel and fashion retail sectors require crucial ‘touch and feel’ engagement. The company is prioritizing operational excellence to ensure it can meet escalating demand across Tier I and Tier II cities. The primary operational challenge involves the efficient management of inventory and complex supply chain logistics across a quickly growing network.

By successfully hitting its target of 50 EBOs, TechnoSport intends to cement its standing as a major domestic player. These physical stores are expected to be vital tools for reinforcing brand awareness and ensuring the company's message of affordability and innovation resonates with a significantly wider consumer base.

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05 December 2025, Mumbai 

Bestseller India has appointed Manika Mittal as the new Business Head, Vero Moda India. This move reinforces the fashion brand's leadership as it pursues further expansion across the country.

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Mittal joins Bestseller India from Myntra, where she most recently served as the Head of International Brands. In that capacity, she was responsible for directing the strategy, marketing, and merchandising for leading global fashion labels on the platform.

During her tenure at Myntra, she played a pivotal role in securing and scaling major international brands in the Indian market, including Mango, Next, Abercrombie & Fitch Co, Hollister Co, and Trendyol.

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Furthermore, she was instrumental in developing India-entry blueprints and integrated go-to-market plans that spanned both online and offline (omnichannel) channels.

With over 18 years of experience spanning companies like Myntra, Aditya Birla Group, More Retail, and Madura Garments, Mittal has built a strong foundation in strategy-led growth, consumer-centric planning, and omnichannel expansion.

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An alumna of NIFT (National Institute of Fashion Technology) with a background in design and apparel technology, she also holds a specialization in business strategy from ISB (Indian School of Business).

In her new role, Mittal will be responsible for leading Vero Moda’s business strategy, brand positioning, and growth initiatives within the highly competitive Indian market.

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06 December 2025, Mumbai

Ethnic apparel brand Vismay is expanding across South India with the opening of its newest store at the Sarath City Capital Mall. This is Vismay’s third store in Hyderabad and expands the brand’s network to more than 40 stores nationwide,

A specialist in women’s apparel, Vismay priortizes premium mall locations to enhance its physical presence and deliver an elevated shopping experience.

This focus on building brick-and-mortar stores positions Vismay to compete with both unorganized local retailers and emerging digital-first fashion brands. By securing prime spaces in high-traffic malls like Sarath City, Vismay aims to leverage the tactile nature of ethnicwear—where fit, fabric, and drape matter—to convert customer interest into sales. With India’s women’s apparel market projected for strong growth, these investments are crucial to capturing market share among affluent, style-conscious consumers in major urban centers.

While Vismay continues to celebrate traditional ethnic styles, its rapid physical expansion reflects a more modern approach to retail. Shown through the Hyderabad store opening, the company’s strategy involves scaling up by optimizing store design and improving operational efficiency in collaboration with mall partners. This commitment to a strong retail footprint is central to Vismay’s long-term vision of reaching a broader audience and building a national brand identity capable of competing with larger domestic and global fashion players in an increasingly competitive market.

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05 December 2025, Mumbai 

The holding company for Reliance Retail, Reliance Retail Ventures (RRVL) has named Jeyandran Venugopal, Former Chief Product and Technology Officer, Flipkart, as its new President and Chief Executive Officer.

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Having over 25 years of experience, Venugopal will be working closely with Isha Ambani, Executive Director, RRVL and the entire leadership team of Reliance Retail.

His mandate is to strengthen the retail portfolio, accelerate omnichannel growth, and drive technical and operational excellence across Reliance Retail's entire value chain.

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This appointment follows other high-profile recruitment news, including Reliance Retail naming former Netflix India marketing head Srivats TS as Senior Vice President and Head of Marketing. Venugopal has an extensive background with various e-commerce and technology giants, including Myntra, Snapdeal, Yahoo, and Amazon.

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04 December 2025, Mumbai 

Global fashion giant, GAP is dramatically stepping up its retail footprint in India with the introduction of GAP Kiosks, a compact, high-visibility format designed to boost accessibility in high-traffic commercial areas.

The launch of the kiosks is a tactical move that complements GAP’s established retail formats, which include GAP Family, GAP Kids, GAP Adults, and GAP Outlets. The new format is a clear reflection of the company's commitment to continuous innovation and expansion within the dynamic Indian market.

Conceived as agile, space-efficient customer touchpoints, the kiosks are specifically engineered to capture a broader customer base within major shopping malls and key retail centers. They prioritize convenience and aim to deliver a seamless shopping experience that aligns with changing consumer habits - namely, seeking quick, focused retail interactions.

By adopting this flexible and scalable retail model, GAP aims to achieve two primary goals: solidify nationwide brand consistency and efficiently reach untapped customer segments through cost-effective, adaptable channels. The company anticipates that the kiosk format will be instrumental in significantly accelerating its presence throughout the country in the coming months, marking a crucial step in cementing GAP’s dominance in one of the world’s fastest-growing consumer markets.

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06 December 2025, Mumbai

Signaling a critical move in the brand’s strategy to intensity its retail presence in high-density metropolitan markets, the ethnic wear brand, Biba opened a new store at the Sky City Mall in Mumbai. This physical expansion is central to Biba Fashion's goal of achieving 15–20 per cent annual revenue growth in the coming years, a recovery effort following a modest FY24 revenue of Rs 769 crore, By securing prime mall locations, Biba directly addresses the Indian consumer's demand for experiential shopping.

The brand’s commitment to new Exclusive Brand Outlets (EBOs) underlines the enduring importance of the brick-and-mortar channel in the Indian apparel market, particularly for ethnic wear, where customers prioritize fit and fabric quality. Biba plans to add approximately 50 new stores in the current fiscal year, using locations like the one in Mumbai as vital customer engagement hubs. This aggressive strategy is designed to capture market share amid a revival in consumer sentiment, especially during peak festive and wedding seasons.

This store launch is also links to Biba’s broader premiumization initiative. The brand is expanding its offerings beyond its core kurta sets and mix-and-match apparel to include higher price-point collections, such as the 'Wedding Edit,' and is diversifying its portfolio with a value fashion brand, Rangriti. This dual strategy is intended to tap into the growing purchasing power of the middle and upper-middle class while insulating the company against market fluctuations. The success of this Mumbai store, a historically strong market for BIBA, will be a key performance indicator for their entire national growth plan.

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05 December 2025, Mumbai 

Strengthening its brick-and-mortar presence across India, womenswear brand Suta has grown its store count to 18 with the launch of its newest boutique in Satra Park, Borivali.

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Sujata Biswas, Co-founder of Suta, shared: “Borivali has a warmth that mirrors our brand. We want this store to be a place where people don’t just shop, but pause, feel, and reconnect with themselves.”

The new boutique highlights Suta’s range of ready-to-wear pieces, blending traditional aesthetics with the everyday wardrobe of modern Indian women.

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Shoppers are invited to explore vibrant collections of handcrafted sarees, blouses, and apparel, reflecting the brand’s deep passion for textiles.

More than just a retail space, the Borivali store is envisioned as a celebration of the community that has supported Suta over the years.

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The brand hopes it will serve as a sanctuary for those who believe in the magic of thoughtful, handmade fashion.

With this opening, Suta now operates four boutiques in the Mumbai metropolitan area, including locations in Thane, Kalina (Santacruz East), and Bandra West.

The label continues its ambitious expansion nationwide, with stores already established in major cities such as Kolkata, Bengaluru, Pune, Kochi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Bhubaneswar, Lucknow, and Trivandrum.

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04 December 2025, Mumbai 

Homegrown premium travel and lifestyle brand, Eume has named acclaimed actor Ishaan Khatter as its new brand ambassador. This collaboration is a major milestone for Eume reinforcing its identity at the intersection of modern design, comfort, and style.

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The partnership is rooted in a shared philosophy: that movement is more than just physical travel—it is personal, expressive, and intentional.

Khatter's dynamic spirit, unique personality, and grounded creative approach perfectly align with Eume’s core values, a brand built on craftsmanship and contemporary sensibilities.

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Naina Parekh, Founder, Eume, emphasizes, the brand represents a lifestyle in motion, not just travel accessories. Khattar is a natural extension of that.

He’s energetic yet grounded, stylish yet effortless, and deeply connected to his craft. This partnership kicks off a very exciting new chapter for the brand.

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Khatter will represent Eume’s entire product line, highlighting how the collections seamlessly integrate into daily life, whether for work, travel, or leisure. The designs are created to balance comfort, durability, and a sense of understated individuality. Rather than endorsing a single item, Ishaan embodies the brand's complete spirit: versatile, expressive, and purpose-driven.

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