Gap makes Indian debut

Gap has finally made its debut in India – opening its first store at Select Citywalk in an upmarket suburb of Delhi on Saturday.

India represents one of the last remaining major developing markets the US casual apparel brand had not entered. It trails Zara by five years but still arrived ahead of Uniqlo and H&M which are reportedly months, rather than years, away from their own debuts.

India’s retail apparel market is estimated to be worth $41 billion right now, with growth of around 50 per cent predicted for 2020 as the middle class continues its rapid expansion, promising burgeoning disposable incomes.

Gap India will open a second store in Mumbai within about two months, according to Indian news media reports. It has a five-year plan to open 40 stores in major cities.

The brand has been brought to India by Arvind Group, which has already launched Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, amongst others, and boasts 1000 stores bearing different brand names across the nation.

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