Ajmal eyes 170+ exclusive stores by 2026, doubles down on Tier 2/3 India

The 75-year-old fragrance house is scaling its experiential retail playbook—Oud-led assortments, in-store consultations—across Ajmer, Jaipur, Aurangabad, Varanasi, Bareilly, Lucknow, Thrissur and Kochi. The bet: premium perfume demand is migrating beyond metros into smaller-city malls.

— FiledWed, 20 May, 2026, 13:51 IST·First seen Wed, 20 May, 2026, 13:50 IST·Source Retail4Growth (HTML list)

What happened

Fragrance house Ajmal plans 170+ exclusive stores in India by end-2026, focused on Tier 2/3 cities. Recent openings span Rajasthan, Maharashtra, UP, and Kerala

Key facts

  • 170+ exclusive stores
  • 75 years

Why this matters

Ajmal's aggressive footprint build in underserved Tier 2/3 cities pre-empts shelf space that competing fragrance houses and multi-brand beauty retailers will need, raising the strategic cost of entry and making distribution partnerships or stake conversations more urgent.