The US-based lifestyle brand and retailer, Guess plans to set up a subsidiary brand for India by the name of — Guess India — to relaunch the label and expand its retail presence by launching stores completely owned by the company, parting ways from their earlier model where stores were functioned by franchisees.
Reportedly, the initial phase of the expansion will be targeted towards Tier I locations in the country. It is important to add here, that the fashion label has shuttered down all of its franchise-based stores in the region.
Lander Isasi, Managing Director, Guess (Middle East, Southeast Asia, Australia, and India) elucidated about the brand’s blueprint to relaunch themselves in India. “The immediate plan is to open 2-3 stores, in around next two years; the long-haul plan is to open up 8 to 10 more stores,” he added.
The relaunch of the brand will also include collaborations with e-commerce players in the country along with coming up with its own online marketplace. Elaborating on the same, Lander cited, “We have distributors for some of our product categories, who will be partnering with several domestic ecommerce platforms, to sell Guess products.”
Additionally, Victor Herrero, CEO, Guess marked out that the American fashion retailer has always considered India as one of its important destinations strategically. Following the recent relaxation of FDI norms by the Government, this decision came naturally. “It is a fundamental step for us to boost the strength of our brand with clear and strong control over presentation and product collection that is consistent with our brand strategy,” he concluded.
