Retail

Zudio Reliance Trends add stores in Ayodhya Varanasi pilgrim cities

CBRE maps fashion chains chasing spiritual tourism footfall across 14 temple towns.

Meera Iyer, Retail correspondent·27 August 2026·4 min read

Empty high-street shopfronts with hanging garments under afternoon sun

Fashion retailers including Zudio, Reliance Trends, Manyavar, Pantaloons and Shoppers Stop are opening stores in Ayodhya, Varanasi and other pilgrim centres, a CBRE report dated 26 August showed. The study covers 14 cities seeing a surge in spiritual tourism. Brands are taking both mall and high-street locations.

CBRE’s report ‘Decoding Real Estate through the Spiritual Tourism Lens’ lists Amritsar, Ajmer, Varanasi, Ayodhya, Puri, Tirupati and others as hotspots. Manyavar, Reliance Trends, Raymond and Market99 have already entered Ayodhya. Varanasi has drawn Zudio and Shoppers Stop among others.

For a store manager in these towns the pilgrim calendar now drives inventory turns—festive wear, value apparel and quick gifts move faster than in regular catchments. Kirana-adjacent high streets gain organised competition that still needs local staff and last-mile suppliers.

Fashion retail chains are capitalising on the surge in spiritual tourism across 14 cities.

It helps mall developers and high-street landlords in these cities. It squeezes unorganised apparel sellers who previously owned the pilgrim spend, while giving value players like Zudio fresh catchment without metro rents.

Watch further store openings ahead of the peak pilgrimage and festive windows later this year and any state tourism infrastructure updates.

Filed under Retail·Meera Iyer

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