Reliance Retail plans 1,000 Yousta stores in two years

Reliance Retail will scale Yousta past 1,000 stores in two years, according to company executives. The brand sits at 55 stores across 27 cities today. Management has said it will add a few hundred stores within the first year and keep the cadence high thereafter.

For the merchant the race means cheaper leases get bid up and youth footfall splits. A dark-store or high-street landlord who signed Zudio last year now fields Yousta calls offering similar ticket sizes and faster fit-outs. Till-level average selling prices stay locked in the ₹299-₹999 band.

Yousta aims to open a new store every few days to compete with Zudio.

The move directly pressures Trent’s Zudio lead and forces smaller value players to defend share or exit weaker catchments. It also feeds Reliance’s broader fashion and lifestyle machine that already includes Trends and Avantra. Shoppers gain more low-price options before Diwali.

Track the next 90-day opening run-rate and any portfolio expansion into cosmetics. Festive demand will test whether the new stores convert at the same speed as the first 55; a Q3 update or AGM remark will clarify the capital outlay.