US-based Gap Kids has unveiled a dedicated store in Hyderabad, marking its expansion in India under Reliance Retail.

The new outlet, situated in Sarath City Capital mall, boasts an inviting white decor with the brand's signature navy blue accents.

The store, catering to both boys and girls, showcases Gap's vibrant logo sweaters at the entrance, along with an enticing Rs 1,000 discount offer.

Gap Kids operates in India through exclusive outlets and various multi-brand e-commerce platforms, including Tata Cliq, Flipkart, Amazon India, Ajio, and Myntra.

The brand, introduced to the Indian market by Reliance Retail in July 2022, previously partnered with Arvind Fashions before ending the association in 2020.

D2C brand, The Souled Store, plans to strengthen its activities in collaboration with checkout platform Simpl.

The partnership will enable consumers to access official merchandise from The Souled Store platform (app and website) through Simpl’s 1-tap checkout. It will provide them with a seamless shopping experience besides enhancing the brand’s conversion rates. It will also minimise The Souled Store’s transaction failures, cash-on-delivery transactions and product returns.

Vedang Patel, Co-founder, The Souled Store, says, the e-commerce platform aims to provide make shopping experience more convenient for its millennial and Gen Z customers.”

Nitya Sharma, Founder CEO, Simpl adds, the partnership also expands the platform’s presence in the fashion e-commerce sector with hundreds of merchants choosing Simpl as their preferred checkout partner checkout.

Co-founded by Vedang Patel, Aditya Sharma, Rohin Samtaney, and Harsh Lal, The Souled Store designs, manufactures and retails apparel products on pop-culture themes such as superheroes, movies, and television shows. 

Indian casualwear brand of the United States Polo Association (USPA) group, US Polo Assn has launched a new store at Panjim in Goa. Spread across 2,237 sq ft, the store spans two floors. It has an all-white interior, whose beauty is further enhanced by the use of wood, metal, and concrete detailing. The store also has a special wall embodying the brand’s spirit of cool and classic.

 Amitabh Suri, CEO, US Polo Assn. - Arvind Fashions, says, the store carries the brands’ product offerings in the form of USPA Mainline, USPA Sport, Denim & Co, Footwear, Accessories & Innerwear.

A popular brand in India, the US Polo Assn is particularly popular for its polo shirts that are made with high-quality fabrics and feature the iconic US Polo Assn. logo. Offering a wide range of styles, colors and designs, US Polo Assn is a one-stop destination for stylish, classic clothing that's both versatile and affordable.

Walmart-owned Flipkart is restructuring its operations by trimming its workforce by around 7 per cent by April this year.

The e-commerce company has also frozen fresh hiring since the past year to control costs. It currently has 22,000 employees, excluding fashion portal person. It has also postponed its plans to launch an IPO.

The proposed restructuring at Flipkart comes at a time when it is reassessing existing and new lines of business. The company plans to invest in the hotel business of Cleartrip, the travel portal acquired by the group in 2021

Last September, the e-commerce company merged key technology and product roles of its new businesses, Cleartrip (travel) and Flipkart Health Plus (epharmacy), into the core commerce team to streamline operations.

Flipkart-owned Myntra cut at least 50 jobs in July, as it wanted to focus on its top private labels. The company plans to continue focusing on the grocery segment besides expanding its social commerce business Shopsy.

Besides, Flipkart plans to venture into the fintech space through Supermoney, a firm in which the e-tailer has investment around $20 million.

Chennai-based mall Phoenix Marketcity launched a multi-brand Sneaker Fest on January 02, 2023.

Coinciding with the mall’s End of Season sale that concludes on Jan ’07, the promotional event runs until January 11, 2023 and will drive footfalls in the shopping centre.

The event offers upto 50 per cent discounts on footwear by a wide range of brands including Reebok, Clarks, Adidas, Asics, Lifestyle, Aldo, Puma, Mochi, Hush Puppies, H&M and Shoppers Stop, etc in numerous footwear categories.

To engage the city’s shoppers and promote the sneaker culture, actress Ritika Singh plans to host an interactive event on January 6. She will showcase the sneakers featuring in the event

Run by retail and mixed-use real estate development business Phoenix Mills, the Phoenix Marketcity mall houses a range of Indian and international brands along with dining and entertainment facilities.

Phoenix Mills also runs malls in locations including Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Pune in joint venture with Crest Ventures.

Luggage and accessories brand Mokobara plans to increase its store count to 20 in the current financial year. The brand recently opened its ninth India store with an exclusive brand outlet in Hyderabad, Telangana.

Located in the Sarath City Mall, the new store sells Mokobara’s luggage range featuring its lightweight, hard-shell suitcases. The store also sells the brand’s travel accessories, wallets, and sling bags along with tote bags and briefcases in minimalist, modern designs. 

Expanding its product basket, Mokobara has launched a range of brightly colored women’s handbags. Designed in tangerine and deep blue hues, these handbags are versatile enough to be used from day to night besides being sold in the brand’s new outlet. 

Launched in 2020 as a D2C brand, Mokobora forayed into brick-and-mortar retail in May last year. The brand has stores in various locations including Bengaluru, Pune, Mumbai, and Gurugram.

Jayanti Reddy has expanded her retail presence by opening a new store in Mumbai. Spread across 2,850 sq ft in the Kala Ghoda district, the store has been designed by Mouna Reddy.

Blending grey and brown colors with shades of gold, the interiors of the store are designed in wood, textured stone, brushed brass, and hand-embroidered panels to balance minimalism with heritage.

Embracing the old-world charm of space, the store seamlessly merges minimalist, contemporary elements. Spanning two floors, the store has a grand wooden entrance that welcomes visitors into a space blends fashion and art. The muted walls and floor tones emphasise the designers’ creativity.

The unique pink stone cladding and the brass partition with hand-embroidered panels at the entrance of the store resonate with Reddy’s philosophy of material interplay.

The store represents the idea of quiet luxury in the world of Indian fashion.

Cutting-edge retail brand Snitch plans to open several stores across the country in the next two months.

As per Siddarth Dungarwal, Co-Founder, the brand will first introduce three distinct store markets to cater to a unique market format.

The first of these will be an exclusive and sophisticated store catering to the brand’s premium high street customers. Characterised by a small format, the second store will be strategically located within a premium mall to ensure accessibility and convenience to shoppers. To be located in an offbeat high street, the third store aims to make Snitch's retail portfolio more unique and attractive.

Besides expanding its physical presence, Snitch is also aligning its brand with varied consumer demographics. The brand designs clothes for fashionable modern men according to the latest market trends.

Expanding its footprint in India, Uniqlo has launched its 13th store in the country in Faridabad.

A part of the Japanese retail holding company Fast Retailing Company, Uniqlo now has over 2,400 stores worldwide across Asia, Europe and North America. It plans to expand to various cities in India.

Uniqlo set up its production office in Bengaluru in 2016 before launching its first Indian store in New Delhi in October 2019. Since, then, the brand has opened two stores in quick succession in Mumbai.

The brand sees India as a long-term market and has been on a learning spree since the first store launch. It has been looking for the right partners and locations, understanding customer demand, operations, logistics and, most importantly, developing internal teams,says Tomohiko Sei, CEO, Uniqlo India.

At the core of the brand is its concept of LifeWear, a range of high-quality clothing made to be worn many times. Prioritising quality and durability, the brand focuses on reducing waste and improving the longevity of its garments.

MiniKlub, a leading kidswear brand, achieves a milestone with the inauguration of its flagship store in Bhopal.

Positioned as India's go-to hub for top-notch children's fashion, the store in Arera Colony emphasizes a commitment to offering a diverse range of baby essentials, kids fashion, and more.

The brand, established in 2013, has rapidly expanded its presence across 28 cities, emphasizing sustainability in its manufacturing processes.