Clothing chain Reliance Trends will now focus on women’s wear to align with India’s changing shopping habits. The company expects its spending on women’s wear to be equal with menswear by 2018 or 2019,
Reliance runs around 210 Reliance Trends outlets across the country. At present, the company earns 41 per cent of its revenue from menswear while women’s wear generates 35 per cent revenue.
India has traditionally been a menswear market, where most apparel chains earn the bulk of their revenue from selling men’s clothing and accessories. The country is one of the few markets where spending on menswear outstrips that on women’s wear, largely because there are more men in the workforce.
But the Indian workforce is changing now. More and more women are rising to the top. Significant social changes are leading to the growth of women’s fashion industry. Hence, the sector is moving faster than menswear. And Reliance wants to cash in on the shifting pattern.