Valentino inks India partnership deal with Reliance Brands
Roman luxury label Valentino, owned by Qatari investment fund Mayhoola, has signed a long-term distribution deal with Indian retail giant Reliance Brands Limited (RBL), with a view to entering the local market.
The partnership’s first step will be the opening, by summer 2022, of a 162 m2 Valentino store within the DLF Emporio luxury mall in Delhi, which will showcase the label’s womenswear collections and a selection of men’s accessories. A Mumbai flagship will open a few months afterwards, selling the entire Valentino range, including the PinkPP Collection for Fall/Winter 2022-23 and the new Valentino eyewear line.
The deal with RBL means Valentino will establish a presence in India with a rejuvenated store concept in line with the latest retail developments, based on experiential design and able to deliver a global experience and a bespoke experiential journey. Valentino was founded in 1960 by Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti. It is present in over 144 locations worldwide via 213 directly managed monobrand stores and more than 1,300 multibrand retailers.
“The brand’s infectious romanticism, signature codes and bold use of colour has strong resonance in India. This partnership will help make the brand more accessible to its Indian customers and build a new tribe of Valentino connoisseurs,” said Darshan Mehta, managing director of RBL.
“We are pleased to join forces with India’s leader in luxury retail, and proud to work together to expand our shared vision and voice in this important market, rife with new opportunities. The upcoming store opening represents a significant step in Valentino’s global strategy, and we are honoured to be part of the country’s growing retail market, allowing the company and the Valentino Community to grow in a solid way, according to our values and brand culture,” said Jacopo Venturini, CEO of Valentino.
“As per our new business model, we are leveraging the strong relationships between the brand, its sales force and the customers, hinged on our Couture values - obsession for detail, creativity and client centricity - that together with human capital and teamwork are at the core of the company’s culture and the main drivers of its evolution,” added Venturini.
RBL is a subsidiary of Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd. It operates 1,937 retail outlets in India, with 732 stores and 1,205 shop-in-shops. RBL’s brand portfolio features names like Bottega Veneta, Burberry, Diesel, Ermenegildo Zegna, Giorgio Armani, Hugo Boss, Replay, Salvatore Ferragamo, Tiffany & Co., Tod's and Versace.
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