Reliance Retail Ventures, the retail arm of Mukesh Ambani’s conglomerate Reliance Industries, is set to launch the Chinese fast fashion label Shein in India in the coming weeks. The launch will see Shein’s products being sold on Reliance’s app and in its brick-and-mortar stores, according to The Economic Times.
Last year, Reliance Retail teamed up with the IPO-bound fashion brand and is likely to appoint former Meta director Manish Chopra to head Shein’s operations in India, the newspaper reported, citing executives aware of the development.
The partnership with Shein is the latest in a series of deals by Reliance Retail, which has successfully brought international brands such as American jewelry maker Tiffany & Co and British online retailer ASOS to India.
Shein, which is eyeing a London listing, and Reliance did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
This move marks Shein’s return to India four years after it was banned as part of a wider crackdown on Chinese applications following border conflicts between the two Asian neighbors.
According to The Economic Times, the India operations will be managed by a company entirely owned by Reliance Retail, with Shein expected to be paid a license fee as a share of the Indian firm’s profit. Furthermore, all relevant and sensitive data will be hosted and stored in India, with Shein having no access or rights over them.
Once launched, Shein will directly compete with Walmart-backed online shopping site Myntra and Tata-owned Trent’s Westside brand in India’s $10 billion fast fashion market.