Esprit to open 25-30 stores in 3 yrs

Global lifestyle brand Esprit plans to open 25-30 stores in the next three years to strengthen its presence in the country.

"All expansion plans are on track despite the slowdown. India is a major focus for us and we expect to have 25-30 more stores by March 2012," Esprit India Chief Operating Officer Manjula Tiwari told PTI.

She, however, declined to comment on the investment details.

The US-based apparel major, which entered India in partnership with Aditya Birla Group, has 20 stores currently apart from 23 shop-in-shops.

"We are looking at cities like Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, Ahmedabad and Jaipur, apart from the metros," Tiwari said.

Talking about the Indian market, Tiwari said that the demand is picking up again. "India is a growing market and has shown resilience to slowdown. We have seen footfalls increase by 20-30 per cent over the last one month."