Inditex in JV with Trent to open its Massimo Dutti Stores in India

Inditex a Spanish multinational clothing company headquartered in Arteixo, Galicia and one of the world’s largest fashion retailers with eight brands and over 6,390 stores throughout the world. Inspired by a responsible passion for fashion and, above all, by the customers plans to open its Massimo Dutti stores in India, one year after signing a joint venture to run stores under the brand in an agreement with Indian retail operations group Trent.

The apparel group in June 2012 had put forward application to open Massimo Dutti stores in the country, but the application was rejected by India’s Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) claiming that an investor should own the brand it proposes to bring to India under local law. However, the FIPB accepted Zara’s application in 2012, and India’s government subsequently eased its laws on brand ownership.

The joint venture between Inditex and Trent will invest Rs 10 crore ($1.6 million) in two years to open five Massimo Dutti locations. Inditex hopes to open stores in top locations and malls, but noted that “finding marquee properties is taking time.

Massimo Dutti and Zara are both Inditex-owned brands. Zara opened its first location in India in 2010 and currently has stores in Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore and Delhi.

Inditex has several brands – Zara, Pull&Bear, Massimo Dutti, Bershka, Stradivarius, Oysho, Zara Home and Uterqüe – all of which share one sales and management approach with a focus on customer service.

Trent is the retail arm of the Tata group. Trent is the retail arm of the Tata group. Established in 1998, Trent runs lifestyle chain Westside, one of India’s largest and fastest growing chain of lifestyle retail stores, Star Bazaar, a hypermarket chain, Landmark, a books and music chain, and Fashion Yatra, a complete family fashion store.