Trent Ltd., the Tata Group's retail arm, plans to accelerate the expansion of its premium fashion brand Westside by opening to 100 new stores annually, significantly increasing its current pace of store additions. The expansion aims to strengthen Westside's presence across India as the company seeks to capitalise on rising demand for organised fashion retail and position the brand as its next major growth driver. Westside, which operated 300 stores at the end of the previous financial year, plans to expand into the North-Eastern states while strengthening its footprint in major cities such as Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. The retailer is also enhancing its omnichannel capabilities and leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to improve product design, supply chain efficiency and inventory management, supporting faster product development and improved customer experience.
The expansion comes as Trent diversifies its growth strategy beyond its value-fashion chain Zudio amid intensifying competition in the retail sector. The company plans to strengthen Westside's online business, targeting e-commerce to contribute 10% of the brand's revenue, up from around 6% currently. AI-enabled design tools have increased the productivity of Westside's in-house design team, enabling the creation of 400-500 designs per week, compared with around 50 previously, while production lead times for fashion products are expected to be reduced to 30 days. The accelerated store rollout, combined with digital transformation and international expansion, is expected to strengthen India's organised retail sector, generate employment opportunities and reinforce the country's position as one of the world's fastest-growing consumer markets.
Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and 58吃瓜 is not responsible for any errors in the same.