Apparel Group markets Charles & Keith, Aldo, Victoria’s Secrets, Bath & Body Works and Tim Hortons among other global brands in India currently operating eight R&B stores in the country.
New Delhi: Apparel Group India is actively planning to expand its R&B department store chain in India amid many large corporations focusing on affordable fashion, a senior representative of the group told IndiaRetailing. .
Apparel Group currently operates eight R&B stores in India and plans to open 20 more such department stores in the country over the next year.
Tushar Ved, president of Apparel Group India told IndiaRetailing: “We are very positive and optimistic about R&B in India. “R&B’s pricing is right for India and is one of the best brands for us to grow here. There’s a huge consumer segment at that price point,” he added.
Apparel Group launched its R&B in October 2012 at the Muscat Grand Mall in Oman and currently operates around 70 stores across seven countries including India, Oman, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
According to the brand’s website, the name R&B is a combination of the words Rare and Basics. While Rare stands for fast fashion, Basics denotes products that never run out of stock. A typical R&B store has six areas: Children’s fashion, women’s fashion, men’s fashion, lingerie, shoes, accessories, and inspired products.
Ved said Apparel Group has also introduced beauty products at an R&B store in India and has plans to expand beauty and cosmetics services there.
In India, R&B is available at Forum Sujana Mall and L&T Musarambagh in Hyderabad; Commercial Street, Lulu International Mall and Mantri Square Shopping Mall in Bengaluru; and L&T Punjagutta in Hyderabad, Telangana among other locations.
IndiaRetailing reported last month that R&B opened a store at City Center Mall in Mangalore, Karnataka.
Apparel Group markets a wide range of global brands in India including Charles & Keith, Aldo, Victoria’s Secrets, Bath & Body Works, La Senza among others.
Last year, Apparel Group added the food and beverage segment to its portfolio in India and opened the Canada-based Tim Hortons coffee shop chain. Currently, the Group operates around eight Tim Hortons stores in India.
Earlier this month, Tim Hortons opened a new store at Vasant Vihar in New Delhi. The store is located at the Basant Lok Community Center in Vasant Vihar.
Value retail is a key area of focus for major Indian corporations including Tata Group and Reliance Industries Ltd.
Last month, IndiaRetailing reported that Tata-owned low-end fashion brand Zudio is planning to add around 130 stores this year, bringing the total number of stores to around 500 stores by the end of 2023.
Similarly, Reliance Retail has been actively expanding Reliance Trends and the Mumbai-based retailer is also planning to create more value brands as millions of Indians are now switching from unbranded apparel to casual wear. branded, creating huge opportunities for modern Indian retailers.
