Luxury clothing brand Ritu Kumar plans massive expansion; to open 45-50 stores  

Luxury clothing brand Reliance Ritu Kumar plans to open 45-50 stores this year in a massive expansion plan.

Managing Director, Reliance Ritu Kumar, Amrish Kumar told Business Today that the brand is poised at a rapid expansion following the alliance between the Ritu Kumar Label with RRVL in 2021.  
 
Reliance bought 52 per cent stake in Ritika Pvt Ltd, the holding company of Ritu Kumar and its sub-brands, in October last year. The Ritu Kumar brand has five labels under its umbrella including Label, RI, aarké, Ritu Kumar Home, and Ritu Kumar. With the festive season around the corner, Reliance Ritu Kumar will soon launch its autumn/winter collection.  
 
Amrish Kumar, Managing Director, Reliance Ritu Kumar told Business Today, “Last year, the festive season was reasonable. I don’t think it was at capacity but there was a reasonable return since there was an overhand of two not-so-normal years. This year, festive season looks more like what it used to be, closer to normal. We must wait and watch what happens to the market because there are other headwinds now, including inflation, softening of consumer sentiment, and other potential dampeners.” 
 
Apart from its luxury labels, Kumar said that a special focus is being applied to expand the range of aarké which is its entry-level sub-brand in terms of price point. “aarké is a sub-brand of the Ritu Kumar label and it is Indo-western with a lot of appeal for young people,” Kumar said.  
 
“We have just launched the Ritu Kumar Autumn Winter 2022 collection and we expect it to have a wide appeal among festival shoppers,” Kumar said.  
 
He added that the last year was largely utilised for identifying locations for expansion, and now the brand would be more visible than ever.