Year in review: How global brands spoiled Indian consumers for choice

This year, India became a growth beacon for global retailers, with premium fashion and beauty brands leading the charge and remaining buoyant despite wider market headwinds. Global brands flocked to the Indian market, both directly and indirectly, to capture a slice of the Indian lifestyle market that is projected to reach $210 billion by 2028, according to a 2024 report by Bain & Co and Myntra.

From lipsticks and biscuits to shoes and apparel, global brands increased their bets on Indian consumers’ aspirational spending, riding a shift in behaviour that goes beyond discretionary indulgence. Rising incomes, deeper digital penetration, and exposure to global trends are nudging first-time buyers into repeat shoppers willing to trade up for quality, convenience, and identity. This emerging cohort is reshaping demand across fashion, beauty, food, and lifestyle categories.

According to Redseer, India and Southeast Asia are expected to be the primary engines of global luxury growth over the next decade, supported by low current penetration levels, aspirational consumers driven by visibility and status, and significant headroom for expansion. YourStory looks at the global brands that chose to place their India bets this year, and the sectors they are targeting.

Singer and global icon Rihanna’s beauty ventures, Fenty Beauty and Fenty Skin, marked their debut in the Indian market in August. The launch in India was led by Reliance Retail’s beauty venture Tira and its franchisee Sephora India. Fenty Beauty, which hosts a viral lip gloss, among other products, will be made available in over 50 stores across 16 cities as Isha Ambani-led Reliance Retail looks to ride in on the premiumisation wave.

Reliance also plans to capitalise on the growing popularity of Korean skincare routines and products. Through its omni-channel beauty retail platform Tira, it launched premium skincare brands Milktouch and Sungboon Editor.

Reliance Retail’s push into global brands has also extended beyond beauty into fashion, as it looks to build a portfolio spanning premium, mass, and fast-fashion consumption.

Earlier this year, in February, Reliance Retail delivered on its 2023 partnership to bring Shein back to India, marking the entry of the global fast fashion giant after nearly five years. Shein’s return to India comes on the back of a technology partnership with Reliance Retail to create a homegrown ecommerce platform. The partnership is under strict requirements like storing platform data locally, with no access or ownership by Shein, and full compliance with Indian laws. In its July earnings, Reliance Retail said the app has crossed 2 million app downloads within six months of relaunch and now has over 20,000 live options.

According to media reports, IPO-bound Shein and Reliance are also considering expanding their Indian supplier base and starting international sales of India-made Shein-branded clothes within six to 12 months.

Inditex Group, the world’s largest listed fast fashion player, decided to skip the middleman this time. The Zara parent marked another foray into India with Bershka, its youth-focused fashion brand, with its first store in Mumbai, as well as a dedicated online platform. Until now, it operated through a JV with Tata Trent, which manages the distribution of Zara and Massimo Dutti. Bershka’s foray includes clothing for men, women, and teenagers as it looks to take a slice of the Indian lifestyle market. The brand, which sits at a lower price point than Zara, also launched itself on Myntra in a bid to capture young, digitally savvy Gen Z consumers.

Swedish retailer H&M, which competes with Zara and Uniqlo, also doubled down in the Indian market by launching COS. The London-based fashion brand, owned by H&M, opened its first store in Delhi. 

Another British brand, NEXT, also marked its entry in India with its first store in Pune, through an association with Myntra Jabong India and its franchise partners. Myntra will also be the debut platform for American brands Abercrombie & Fitch and Hollister in 2026 through a multi-year franchise partnership.

Lululemon, which has been a symbol for yoga and wellness fashion in the West, is now setting its sights on the Indian market. The Canadian athleisure brand announced its intention to enter the Indian market in the back half of 2026 through a strategic collaboration with Tata CLiQ. It will open its first physical store in India and will mark its ecommerce foray with Tata CLiQ Luxury and Fashion. The entry would feature Lululemon’s athletic and lifestyle, footwear, and accessories.

Italian sportswear brand Lotto marked its first official foray into the Indian market with a target of touching Rs 1,000 crore in revenue over the next five years. The company partnered with the Virat Kohli-backed Agilitas Sport, which holds the exclusive rights for the Lotto brand in India, South Africa, and Australia. The company’s sneaker collection is expected to be designed in Italy but manufactured in India by Mochiko Shoes, an Agilitas facility. It further plans to expand its portfolio to apparel, performance sportswear, and accessories. 

The global push into India was not limited to apparel and lifestyle alone, with international food and beverage brands also eyeing scale by adapting to local price points and consumption habits.

In its second innings, the world’s third-largest pizza delivery company, Papa John’s, again tried its hand in the Indian market this October with its first outlet in Bengaluru, operated under a joint master franchise arrangement with Pulsar Capital and UAE-based PJP Investments Group. The US-based pizza chain is looking at India as a priority market and has tweaked its offerings to a localised, as well as majority-vegetarian menu in a bid to win Indian customers. It exited India citing underperformance in 2017 after a decade-long run.

The company has also taken a more affordable approach, with pizzas starting as low as Rs 149, and a 650-store target for its re-entry.

In November, Biscoff maker Lotus Bakeries launched its viral biscuit as part of a strategy to sweeten up Indian middle-class consumers. As per a 2024 agreement with Cadbury Chocolates and Oreo-maker Mondelez, Biscoff would be manufactured locally, allowing it to be priced more affordably, as low as Rs 10 for a single-serve, for the mid-market consumer palate.

The move is part of a broader strategy by the Brussels-listed bakery to make its flagship Biscoff biscuit the number three brand in the world, with a key focus on India. The partnership also allows Mondelez to expand its premium chocolate portfolio together with Lotus Bakeries. According to a report by 3one4 Capital, India’s premium FMCG is scaling two times faster than mass categories, about 12–15% CAGR vs 7–8%, as consumers look toward specialised, premium, and better brands.

Together, these moves underline how global brands are increasingly viewing India not as a single market entry, but as a multi-category growth engine tailored to different consumer cohorts and spending thresholds.