Dubai's Comoculture to launch in India next year

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
Nov 6, 2017

The multi-brand fashion and lifestyle company Comoculture is rolling out a global expansion from Dubai and aims to open four to five stores in India next financial year.

“We want to open four to five stores in India in the first year of operation. We offer handpicked emerging brands in the mid- priced segment through our offline and online stores,” said Peter Castella, the Founder and CEO of Comoculture. Castella said that the stores will be opened in metros and will be in the size range of 800 to 1,600 square foot with cafes also planned for larger stores. Comoculture has made a master franchise agreement with Retail One Solutions and Services Private Limited and it is through them that Comoculture will open its stores. The idea is to build a solid base in the country that can later be expanded upon.  

The business currently sells around 40 fashion and lifestyle brands, mostly from Europe. “We also connect with some India-developed brands across the categories that we operate in... but the DNA of Comoculture is that we are a European destination. In India, 20 percent of our offering will be Indian brands,” said Castella. The other 80 percent of brands will therefore be foreign imports and some of the brands that Comoculture sells in the Middle East include Le Soie, Dyrberg Kern, Julie Sandlau, and Aethic.

Comoculture is also planning to expand into China, Russia, and Turkey next year both through brick-and-mortar stores and online. At present the company has shops throughout the Middle East in Bahrain, Oman, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Iran, and Saudi Arabia.