Lately, ABFRL signed up cricketer Surya Kumar Yadav and Bollywood star Taapsee Pannu as brand ambassadors and has unleashed marketing campaigns around those celebrities
New Delhi: Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd. (ABFRL) plans to open 300 stores of Reebok in the next three years and the Mumbai-based conglomerate hopes the American sportswear brand to become a Rs 1,000 crore business by then, according to sources.
“ABFRL is very bullish on the Reebok brand,” said one of the persons. ABFRL currently operates around 170 Reebok stores in India, most of which are franchisee-operated. “In the coming years, they plan to open about 100 stores each year for the next three years,” the person added. That will take the total number of Reebok outlets to slightly shy of the 500-mark by the end of fiscal year 2026-27.
ABFRL did not respond to IndiaRetailing’s email seeking comment.
In 2021, ABFRL signed a long-term agreement with Reebok’s owner Authentic Brands Group (ABG) for exclusive licencing and distribution rights to sell the American sportswear brand products in India and Southeast Asia through Reebok-branded outlets, wholesale and online channels.
ABFRL signed up with Reebok at a time when sportswear brands including Adidas, Puma, Nike, Skechers, Under Armour and Decathlon among other global brands were ramping up their presence in India amid a sharp uptick in younger Indians increasingly taking to sports and fitness.
Lately, ABFRL signed up cricketer Surya Kumar Yadav and Bollywood star Taapsee Pannu as brand ambassadors and unleashed marketing campaigns around those celebrities.
ABFRL is part of an Indian conglomerate, The Aditya Birla Group and operates a repertoire of brands including Louis Philippe, Van Heusen, Pantaloons, Allen Solly and Peter England. The company’s international brands portfolio includes – The Collective, Ralph Lauren, Hackett London, Ted Baker, Fred Perry, Forever 21, American Eagle, Reebok and Galeries Lafayette. The Company’s foray into the branded ethnic wear business includes brands such as Jaypore, Tasva and Marigold Lane. The company has strategic partnerships with designers Shantnu & Nikhil, Tarun Tahiliani, Sabyasachi and the House of Masaba.
The retail company of Aditya Birla Group boasts a revenue of Rs. 12,418 crore and retail space spanning 10.8 million sq. ft. as of March 31, 2023.
ABFRL is one of India’s largest retail companies with a network of 3,977 stores across approximately 33,535 multi-brand outlets with 6,723 points of sale in department stores across India as of 31 March 2023.
