India’s high street poised for a revival with global luxury brands setting shops in next 2-3 years

With cities like Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Delhi-NCR set to attract global luxury brands in the coming two to three years, India’s high street retail is poised for a revival, say experts. Once overshadowed by malls due to infrastructure challenges, high streets are drawing renewed interest thanks to improvements in parking facilities and walkability. This shift is not only making high streets more competitive with malls but also providing a fresh retail experience to both consumers and brands.
For years, global luxury brands like Louis Vuitton and Zara avoided India’s high streets, citing poor infrastructure, such as limited parking and pedestrian access. Zara withdrew plans to open a store on Bengaluru’s Commercial Street, and Louis Vuitton shut down its high street location in Chennai due to these issues, explains Abhishek Sharma, Senior Director - Retail Agency, Knight Frank India. However, with significant redevelopment on key streets like Commercial Street and Church Street in Bengaluru, with improved parking and wider walkways, luxury brands are once again flocking to high streets.
Indian-origin brands quick to capitalise on this high street revival include FabIndia, Biba, American Eagle, Tommy Hilfiger and Jack & Jones. According to Sharma, the number of luxury brands setting up their shops on high streets has increased from around 100 to 135-140.
Besides metro cities, this revival can also be seen in Tier II cities like Bhubaneswar, Nasik, Mysuru, and Rajkot.