Wills Lifestyle taps Franchise India to scale pan-India via franchise route

ITC's apparel brand Wills Lifestyle partners with Franchise India to expand its store network across metros and Tier 2 cities. The move brings its Wills Classic, Wills Sport and Wills Clublife lines to more markets through a franchise-led model.

— FiledThu, 9 Jul, 2026, 10:33 IST·First seen Thu, 9 Jul, 2026, 10:32 IST·Source Financial Express · BrandWagon

What happened

ITC's Wills Lifestyle partners with Franchise India to expand its store network pan-India via the franchise route, targeting metros and Tier 2 cities. The

Key facts

  • 14 years

Why this matters

Franchise India as scaling partner opens Tier 2 access quickly; watch for franchisee performance data that could inform future acquisition, exclusivity, or master-franchise structuring.

What to watch

  • Number of new franchise stores opened per quarter
  • Same-store sales and franchisee churn rate
  • ITC segment disclosures on lifestyle retailing revenue
  • Competitor franchise moves (Trends, Max, Pantaloons) in same cities
  • Discounting depth signaling inventory or demand stress
  • ITC to publish store-count and city targets for FY milestones
  • Franchise India to run partner-recruitment roadshows in Tier 2 hubs
  • Wills to standardize store fit-out and merchandising playbook for franchisees
  • Refresh Wills Sport/Clublife SKUs and pricing for Tier 2 affordability