Cotton On Group launches in India

One of Australia’s largest fashion retailers, Cotton On Group, is launching in India, with a first flagship store scheduled to open in the second half of next year.

In advance of the company’s physical stores, Cotton On will sell fashion products online on the Myntra platform, in a move seen as a challenge to Sweden’s H&M and california’s Forever 21.

The first flagship store will open in either Delhi or Mumbai in the third or fourth quarter of next year.

Cotton On’s local partner is AVS Global Network, which has reportedly secured an 18-month exclusive contract to sell fashion on Flipkart, Myntra and Jabong.

“About 77 per cent of online fashion brand consumers use either Flipkart, Myntra or Jabong to shop, as they have a high brand-recall value,” said AVS cofounder Sumanto Das. “This is why we thought it would be wise to introduce Cotton On to India through these platforms.”

Cotton On Group, which owns the namesake brand along with Factorie, Ruby (shoes), Typo (stationery), Supre and Lost, was founded in 1991. It has already expanded into Singapore, Hong Kong, South Africa and New Zealand, among other markets with about 1500 stores worldwide.