India’s fashion retailers are accelerating their offline expansion, with leading players increasing investments to strengthen their presence across the country.
Most of the retailers are focusing on expansion in tier 2 and 3 towns.
Trent, the Tata Group’s fashion and lifestyle retailer, has secured shareholder approval to raise up to Rs 2,500 crore to accelerate its growth initiatives. The funds will be used to open new stores, upgrade existing outlets, expand the Star store network and make selective investments in retail real estate.
Similarly, Arvind Fashions has outlined expansion plans, stating that it will add 150,000 sq. ft. of net retail space in FY27, up from 140,000 sq. ft. added in the previous financial year.
Alongside expanding their physical footprint, retailers are also strengthening their omni-channel capabilities by integrating offline stores with digital operations.
Reliance Retail, for instance, has increased its non-current bank borrowings to support these investments. The company currently operates more than 700 dark stores, which are dedicated to fulfilling online orders.
Reliance Retail CFO Dinesh Taluja said the company will continue investing to deepen its market presence and support long-term growth.
In FY26, Trent expanded its store network by adding 198 Zudio, 52 Westside, and 6 Star Bazaar stores. Likewise V-Mart Retail achieved its highest-ever annual store expansion in FY26 opening 92 new stores and closing 12 for a net addition of 80 stores, bringing its total count to 577 stores.
Industry executives expect fashion retailers to maintain this momentum as they deepen their presence in existing markets while expanding into smaller cities to tap growing consumer demand.
