BENGALURU (Reuters) – Reliance Retail, part of billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s conglomerate Reliance Industries, on Wednesday tied up with Gap Inc to bring the American clothing retailer’s brands to India.
Gap’s previous attempt to woo Indian customers turned sour after the jeans and casual clothing retailer terminated its deal with a unit of Arvind Fashions in 2020, when strict lockdowns in the country resulted in near-zero footfalls across malls and shopping centers. (https://bit.ly/3nGulEW)
For Reliance, the deal with Gap is the latest among many ventures by the conglomerate, and comes days after announcing a plan to open outlets of popular British sandwich and coffee chain Pret A Manger in India.
The various partnerships also come as Mukesh Ambani, among India’s richest men, is all set to trigger leadership changes in his conglomerate, with daughter Isha rumored to be the next chairperson of the retail business.
The unit already has partnerships with luxury brands Burberry and Jimmy Choo.
Reliance Retail will sell Gap merchandise in the country through a mix of exclusive brand stores, multi-brand store expressions and digital commerce platforms, the company said.
Financials terms of the deal were not disclosed. Reliance and Gap did not immediately respond to requests for details.
It already sells Gap clothes on its fashion ecommerce app, Ajio.
(Reporting by Tanvi Mehta in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)
