ABFRL consolidates premium ethnic stores as Tasva reaches 92

Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail is consolidating selected premium ethnic stores while expanding designer and weddingwear brands, with Tasva reaching 92 stores in 35 cities and the ethnic portfolio exceeding Rs 2,200 crore in annual revenue in Q2 FY27. ABFRL added 11 upgraded-format stores and closed more than 25 premium locations during the quarter.

What does ABFRL’s ethnic portfolio include?

ABFRL’s ethnic platform covers apparel, beauty, accessories and jewellery, with more than Rs 2,200 crore of annual revenue and over 650 stores across brands in Q2 FY27. Its designer-led brands are Sabyasachi Calcutta, Tarun Tahiliani, Shantnu Nikhil Couture and masaba, while its premium ethnic group includes Jaypore, aurelia, W, WISHFUL, Tasva, elleven and FOLKSONG.

The individual networks disclosed by ABFRL show that the 650-plus portfolio total covers several distinct formats rather than one chain. Tasva had 92 stores in 35 cities, Jaypore had 44 stores across more than 15 cities, House of Masaba had 20 exclusive stores, and Shantnu Nikhil Couture was available across 21 stores in Q2 FY27.

ABFRL’s portfolio also combines luxury labels with weddingwear, pret-wear and beauty businesses. Tasva is presented as Tasva x Tarun Tahiliani, while LoveChild is masaba’s beauty label. The company did not disclose sales or profitability separately for the full ethnic portfolio, despite providing its annual revenue scale.

How are ABFRL’s designer brands expanding?

ABFRL said Sabyasachi Calcutta and Tarun Tahiliani each delivered double-digit revenue growth in Q2 FY27. Sabyasachi Calcutta’s growth was broad-based across jewellery, apparel and accessories, and the brand opened a New Delhi flagship store of more than 25,000 square feet.

Tarun Tahiliani’s growth was supported by bridal and couture menswear, according to ABFRL. Its footprint reached 14 stores, including seven dedicated locations for OTT, its recently launched pret-wear label. The seven OTT stores accounted for half of the disclosed Tarun Tahiliani network.

masaba’s performance was driven by bridal and occasion wear, while LoveChild added wellness and fragrance launches. House of Masaba operated 20 exclusive stores. ABFRL said Shantnu Nikhil Couture had healthy momentum and improving profitability, with 21 stores, but did not disclose revenue, profit or margin figures for either brand.

How is ABFRL scaling Tasva in wedding markets?

ABFRL is scaling Tasva through store expansion and festive-season marketing after reporting double-digit revenue growth in the first half of FY27. Tasva’s 92-store network in 35 cities was more than twice Jaypore’s disclosed 44-store estate in Q2 FY27.

ABFRL said Tasva was building scale and market share in several key wedding markets, but it did not provide a market-share percentage, sales value or city-level performance data. The company’s first-half double-digit growth statement therefore gives direction of growth, rather than a quantified comparison with other weddingwear brands.

For the upcoming festive and wedding season, ABFRL said Tasva would build brand salience through a Jim Sarbh-led squad rewards programme and creator-led activations. This is a management-disclosed marketing plan, not a revenue forecast. ABFRL did not state whether Tasva’s 92 stores are included in, or separate from, Tarun Tahiliani’s 14-store network.

Why is ABFRL closing premium ethnic stores?

ABFRL said revenue at aurelia, W, WISHFUL, elleven and FOLKSONG moderated in Q2 FY27 because of a festive shift and store rationalisation. The company added 11 upgraded-format stores while closing more than 25 locations, with the network being focused on priority metro and Tier I markets and larger formats.

The closure count exceeded the 11 upgraded-format additions disclosed for the quarter. ABFRL said the new formats showed early signs of encouraging traction, but did not provide sales per store, like-for-like growth, revenue productivity or profitability data for those upgraded locations.

ABFRL described the consolidation as a way to unlock synergies, sharpen strategic focus and accelerate growth in the premium ethnic portfolio. The presentation links the group’s revenue moderation to both the festive timing shift and store rationalisation, rather than attributing the change only to the more than 25 closures.

What role do digital channels play in ABFRL’s ethnic strategy?

ABFRL reported that Jaypore’s online channel contributed about 20% of its business in Q2 FY27, alongside its 44 stores across more than 15 cities. The company described Jaypore’s performance as healthy, with continued loss reduction, but did not disclose the loss amount or the size of the reduction.

Jaypore is using craft-led digital storytelling, artisan narratives and creator collaborations to strengthen brand salience. ABFRL did not disclose comparable online-sales mixes for Tasva, Sabyasachi Calcutta, Tarun Tahiliani or the consolidated aurelia-led premium group, so Jaypore’s 20% share cannot be compared across the portfolio.

Digital and product expansion also extend beyond Jaypore’s online channel. LoveChild added wellness and fragrance products, while Sabyasachi Calcutta reported growth across jewellery, apparel and accessories. These initiatives sit within an ethnic platform that ABFRL says spans over 650 stores and more than Rs 2,200 crore in annual revenue.

Conclusion

ABFRL’s Q2 FY27 ethnic strategy combines expansion in designer and weddingwear labels with network consolidation in selected premium brands. Tasva’s 92 stores, Tarun Tahiliani’s 14 stores and the 25,000-plus-square-foot Sabyasachi Calcutta flagship illustrate growth activity, while more than 25 store closures show the parallel focus on rationalising the aurelia-led portfolio.

What to watch next is the festive and wedding-season outcome from Tasva’s planned rewards and creator campaign, and the performance of the 11 upgraded premium formats in metro and Tier I markets. ABFRL has disclosed only early traction from the upgraded stores, leaving their sales productivity, profitability and the effect of the closures unresolved.