British retailer Marks & Spencer is unfazed by the slowing Indian economy and plans to open more stores there.

M&S says it is planning six to eight new stores in the market over the next six months in addition to the 35 currently operating though a joint venture with local partner Reliance Retail.

“We have just opened our 35th store. At the moment, demand is fantastic. While a lot has been written about the slowdown here, we continue to see growth,” said M&S Reliance India MD Venu Nair.

“The base is so small that it can only keep going up. We have not changed our expansion plans here,” said Nair.

He said the new stores will be opened in both large and small cities.