Wills Lifestyle taps Franchise India to grow store network across metros and Tier 2 cities

ITC's premium apparel brand Wills Lifestyle has partnered with Franchise India Brands to scale its retail footprint via the franchise route, expanding across metros and Tier 2 markets with sub-brands Wills Classic, Wills Sport and Wills Clublife.

— FiledFri, 3 Jul, 2026, 16:03 IST·First seen Fri, 3 Jul, 2026, 16:03 IST·Source Financial Express · BrandWagon

What happened

ITC's Wills Lifestyle apparel brand ties up with Franchise India to expand its store network across India via the franchise route, targeting metros and Tier 2

Key facts

  • 14 years

Why this matters

The Franchise India partnership de-risks Wills Lifestyle's expansion capex and could position the brand for accelerated network growth, making it a relevant benchmark for franchise-led apparel plays.

What to watch

  • Quarterly net store additions vs stated targets
  • Same-store sales growth in Tier 2 vs metros
  • Franchisee payback period and churn/renewal rates
  • ITC apparel segment margin disclosures in earnings
  • Discounting intensity signaling inventory pressure
  • Rival mass-premium expansion in same catchments
  • ITC to publish store-count targets and capex-light franchise terms to attract partners
  • Roll out sub-brand-specific store formats (Sport vs Clublife) to test format economics
  • Franchise India to run investor roadshows in Tier 2 hubs (Indore, Coimbatore, Lucknow, etc.)
  • Competitors (Trends, Zudio, Pantaloons) to intensify Tier 2 pricing and expansion defense
  • ITC to layer omnichannel/online-to-store integration to support franchisee inventory turns

Also reported by