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

ITC's premium apparel brand Wills Lifestyle has partnered with Franchise India Brands to expand its retail footprint pan-India via the franchise route, targeting both metros and Tier 2 cities after 14 years in the market.

— FiledSun, 5 Jul, 2026, 21:34 IST·First seen Sun, 5 Jul, 2026, 21:33 IST·Source Financial Express · BrandWagon

What happened

ITC's premium apparel brand Wills Lifestyle has tied up with Franchise India Brands to expand its store network across India via the franchise route, targeting

Key facts

  • 14 years

Why this matters

Franchise India as expansion partner opens potential for regional master-franchise deals and warrants monitoring of competing premium apparel brands' Tier 2 land-grab.

What to watch

  • Quarterly store-opening count vs stated targets
  • Same-store sales and franchise churn/closure rate
  • ITC apparel segment revenue disclosures
  • Competitor (Raymond, Allen Solly, Van Heusen) Tier 2 franchise moves
  • Discounting depth signaling demand softness
  • Announce target store count and phased city rollout list within 1-2 quarters
  • Introduce Tier 2-tailored price points or capsule collections to widen accessibility
  • Recruit anchor franchise partners and set unit economics/margin-share terms
  • Layer omnichannel (click-and-collect, marketplace) to support thin-density markets