Gas Jeans goes H&M, Adidas way in India

Gas Jeans, owned by Italy based Grotto family, has sought approval from the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) to open its own single-brand retail stores across India.

Swedish fashion retailer Hennes and Mauritz (H&M) has already debuted in India with opening of two retail outlets in New Delhi this year, while German sportswear maker Adidas is expected to soon set up its retail stores.

Gas Jeans, which offers apparel for the young crowd under its GAS brand, already operates 65 stores in the country, all through the franchise route.

The Italian company's latest step follows changes made by the Government of India in its foreign direct investment (FDI) policy for single-brand retail in India, which includes allowing the foreign single-brand retailers to sell online.

The government has also changed the sourcing norm or 30 per cent of the value of goods purchased, which will now be reckoned from the opening of first store instead of the date of receipt of FDI. 

GAS OPENS FLAGSHIP IN MUMBAI

Gas has recently opened a new flagship store in Mumbai, inside High Street Phoenix, one of the most significant shopping malls of the city and a location that gathers some of the best international fashion brands along with a wide selection of entertainment offers. The new concept store reinterprets some of the brand’s most iconic interior decor elements in a very innovative way.. 
  
Gas strongly believes in the importance to expand in India, a market whose economy is evolving fast and whose population is among the youngest globally. The new Mumbai flagship store adds up to the already existing 46 stores spread among the country’s major cities. Out of this, there are shop-in-shops based inside chain stores and department stores such as Shoppers Stop, Kapsons and Iconix, with 11 additional monobrand stores in Mumbai, Delhi, Ludhiana, Hyderabad, Chandigarth, Chennai, Thane, in addition to Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Pune and Delhi again, which opened throughout 2014. 
  
The presence of Gas in India is constantly expanding as the result of the master franchise agreement with the Indian group Reliance Brands Ltd, a solid and established company. Gas has found a partner with whom it can share common vision, strategies and targets for the future, while respecting values and identity. 
  
“For the next five years our common aim is to make Gas become a major player in the premium lifestyle market niche with a thorough distribution network and a strong reputation for our target – open-minded and cosmopolitan young professionals who are conscious about the latest trends and look for the best from international fashion for both their working occasions and leisure time,” commented Claudio Grotto, founder and president of Gas, while inaugurating the Mumbai store.