The stores, called Footprint, will be followed by further branches in Kochi, Ludhiana, New Delhi and Noida, which are expected to open in the next few weeks. The shops sell brands including Reebok, Puma, Nike and Adidas, as well as Reliance’s private-label brands Mancini, Tosca, Viviana, Monza and Hi-Attitude.
Reliance Footwear chief executive G.Shankar said he wants to capture between 10 per cent and 12 per cent of the Indian footwear market, estimated to be worth INR15 billion (£184.4 million).
The initiative came less than a month after Reliance opened its first speciality clothing store, Reliance Trends, as part of a strategy to serve consumers in 1,500 towns and cities in India.
Reliance’s portfolio includes its grocery chain, Reliance Fresh, which it is considering hiving off as a separate business and Reliance Digital. It also plans to launch a chain of retail jewellery stores this month.
French retail giant Carrefour is thought to be considering entering India with a wholesale business, after struggling to forge a relationship with a local partner.
It is understood that Carrefour will kick off its Indian operation with a wholly owned subsidiary that will begin trading in the fourth quarter of next year, or early 2009.
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