Kids’ footwear brand Aretto is targeting more than 100 retail outlets by FY ’27 as it accelerates its transition from a predominantly online business to an omnichannel and international brand.
Founded by Satyajit Mittal, the company opened its first store in Pune and has since expanded to 30 retail stores in its second year of offline operations. It is now targeting over 65 stores in its third year, with a long-term goal of crossing 100 touchpoints by FY ’27.
Aretto has built a strong retail presence in Pune, where it currently operates nine stores, while also expanding across northern, western, southern and eastern India.
The company said its offline expansion strategy is helping reduce customer acquisition costs and strengthening digital sales by reducing reliance on paid social media channels.
The expansion comes at a time when customer acquisition costs are rising across digital platforms, prompting many direct-to-consumer brands to diversify their distribution strategies.
According to the company, its physical stores not only generate sales but also contribute to online conversions and brand visibility.
Aretto’s core offering is built around its patented footwear technology that allows shoes to expand as children grow.
The company said the innovation addresses a longstanding challenge in the kids’ footwear segment, where frequent size changes require parents to replace shoes every few months.
Looking ahead, Aretto plans to broaden its portfolio beyond its signature expandable footwear and position itself as a design- and innovation-led footwear company. The brand is focusing on extending its offerings to older children, deepening distribution in existing markets and scaling manufacturing capacity.
The company manufactures its products in India, including digitally knitted uppers and injection-moulded soles, and said its supply chain is not structurally dependent on imported finished components.
Aretto is also open to raising fresh capital to support growth initiatives. Any future funding will be directed towards research and development, manufacturing expansion, distribution and international market validation.
“Our retail rollout is the clearest signal of where we’re headed: one store in year one, 30 touchpoints by year two, over 65 by year three and more than 100 retail touchpoints targeted by FY ‘2027. International expansion is also part of the plan, but we will enter new markets in a measured way by validating consumer demand, fit requirements and local partnerships. Any fresh capital raised will be focused on R&D, manufacturing, distribution and international growth rather than subsidising demand,” said Satyajit Mittal, Founder, Aretto.
