Retail

Zudio crosses 1,000 stores as Trent pushes smaller cities

Value-fashion chain hits four-digit count with over 80% of recent openings in Tier-2/3, pressuring every mid-price apparel till.

Meera Iyer, Retail correspondent·25 October 2026·4 min read

Empty apparel racks and folded garment stacks in a brightly lit value fashion store

Trent’s Zudio crossed the 1,000-store mark in India, according to reports dated 24 October, after ending March 2026 at 963 outlets across 310 cities. More than 80% of FY26 and recent additions landed in Tier-II, Tier-III and peripheral markets. The brand has served over 100 million customers since 2016.

Zudio added 208 domestic stores in FY26 and continued the pace into the current year, including 22 in the June quarter. Sub-₹999 price points and weekly inventory refresh keep footfall high. Trent’s overall fashion revenue growth has tracked the format’s expansion.

A store manager in a Tier-3 mall now clears higher volume on basics and seasonal drops than a metro Westside floor on the same day. Till density rises because the average basket stays value-led yet frequency climbs with fresh stock every week.

Over 80% of new Zudio outlets opened in Tier II, III and peripheral growth markets.

V-Mart, Reliance Trends and private-label players lose share in the same catchments. Premium formats such as Westside gain breathing room as Zudio soaks the mass demand. Landlords in smaller cities secure longer leases at better terms.

Watch the next quarterly store count and like-for-like sales in new markets. Festive sell-through through November will show whether the 1,000th store cohort matures on the usual two-to-three-year curve.

Filed under Retail·Meera Iyer

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