Sri Lankan fashion retailer Avirate has partnered with Fashion 365 to expand across India.

Having entered India 18 months ago, Avirate now eyes store openings in more than five cities over the second half of the year.

It has earmarked around Rs5.8 crores (US$1 million) to open stores in cities including Hyderabad, Gurgaon, Noida, Goa and Thane.

“Our research and analytics teams operating in India, Sri Lanka and the UK work closely together to forecast trends and customer requirements. We produce our garments accordingly and do not hold much inventory,” said Avirate India MD Jahid Osman.

“When the brand offers what a consumer requires and updates are maintained via constant communication, attracting walk-ins to the stores becomes easy.”

Owned by Timex and Fergasm Group, Avirate offers new collection of clothing, bags, shoes and accessories monthly.

It says it is also looking for opportunities to open in countries including Dubai, Singapore and Australia.