Italian and British luxury brands follow close behind
The expanding retail footprint of global brands in India has been a major growth driver of retail real estate in the country. In an effort to map and analyze the spread of international retailers, CBRE recently undertook a research study of more than 300 prominent global retailers to identify operating trends, expansion strategies, and extent of penetration across leading cities.
An analysis of these brands by their country of origin revealed that US brands accounted for the bulk of global retailers present in the country. Comprising nearly 30 percent of the total brands analyzed for the CBRE study, Expanding Horizons of Global Retailers in India,most US retailers were present in the mass market F&B category in India. On the other hand, retailers from Italy and the UK—accounting for about 19 percent and 16 percent, respectively,of the total share of global brands analyzed for the study—were observed to be largely concentrated in the luxury segment, with brands such as Hermes, Chanel and Fendi.
Foreign Retailers in India by Country of Origin
Source: CBRE Research.
A segment-wise focus on the brands originally from the top three countries of the US, Italy and the UK revealed that most belonged to the fashion and apparel, and F&B segments. Further analysis revealed levels of penetration in comparison to various other sectors. While most brands originating in the USand UK have a wider presence in the fashion and apparel segment, almost 60 percent of brands from Italy happen to be in the luxury category. As mentioned, US brands have a dominant position in the F&B category, with brands such as McDonald’s, KFC and Subway—to name just a few popular mass F&B players present in India—who are in the process of expanding rapidly across Indian cities. Additionally, Spanish retailers—particularly Mango and Zara—have made a major impact on fashion trends since their entry into the country, and have been steadily expanding their retail footprint across major tier I and II cities in India.
About the Author
Anshuman Magazine is the CMD, CBRE South Asia Pvt.Ltd.
