Retail

Zudio Reliance Trends open in Ayodhya Varanasi pilgrim boom

CBRE flags fashion chains racing into 14 spiritual cities as tourist footfall lifts high-street and mall rents for local landlords.

Meera Iyer, Retail correspondent·8 September 2026·4 min read

Temple-adjacent high street with shuttered shop fronts and hanging fabric rolls in early light

Fashion retailers including Zudio, Reliance Trends, Manyavar, Pantaloons and Shoppers Stop have opened stores in Ayodhya and Varanasi, part of a broader push into 14 major pilgrim centres identified by CBRE in a report dated early September 2026. The expansion rides government tourism infrastructure and rising spiritual visitor numbers.

CBRE’s spiritual tourism real-estate study lists Amritsar, Ajmer, Varanasi, Ayodhya, Puri, Tirupati and others as hotspots where Manyavar, Reliance Trends, Raymond, Market99 and Pantaloons have already planted flags; Zudio and Shoppers Stop joined the Varanasi cluster.

A high-street landlord in Ayodhya now sees weekend pilgrim families convert into apparel tickets that were previously limited to prasad and souvenirs; the new doors raise daily footfall and justify higher CAM charges for neighbouring kiranas.

Zudio and Reliance Trends join Manyavar in Ayodhya and Varanasi store race.

The influx helps mall developers fill vacant bays but squeezes pure local ethnic wear sellers who lack the supply chain speed of national chains. It also gives Trent and Reliance fresh catchment data ahead of festive peaks.

Track Diwali-to-New Year pilgrim traffic numbers and any fresh CBRE or RAI updates on store counts in these 14 cities before the next quarterly filings.

Filed under Retail·Meera Iyer

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