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

ITC's Wills Lifestyle partnered with Franchise India Brands to grow its fashion apparel footprint via the franchise route, targeting both metros and Tier-2 markets. The brand spans three lines: Wills Classic, Wills Sport and Wills Clublife.

— FiledWed, 1 Jul, 2026, 20:02 IST·First seen Wed, 1 Jul, 2026, 20:02 IST·Source Financial Express · BrandWagon

What happened

ITC's Wills Lifestyle partnered with Franchise India Brands to expand its fashion apparel store network across India via the franchise route, focusing on metros

Key facts

  • 14 years

Why this matters

The Franchise India partnership positions Wills Lifestyle for scalable geographic reach, opening potential for co-branding, category extensions, or regional franchisee acquisitions in underpenetrated markets.

What to watch

  • Number of franchise stores opened per quarter vs. announced targets
  • Same-store sales in Tier-2 vs. metro locations
  • Franchisee onboarding-to-churn ratio in first 4 quarters
  • Competitive Tier-2 moves by Peter England, Van Heusen, Allen Solly
  • Any shift to omnichannel/click-and-collect at franchise outlets
  • ITC likely to announce store-count targets and a phased city-cluster rollout map
  • Franchise India runs partner-recruitment drives and territory allocations for Tier-2 markets
  • SKU rationalization across Wills Classic/Sport/Clublife to fit smaller-format franchise stores
  • Possible bundling with ITC's other lifestyle/personal-care brands for franchisee footfall