IndiaRetailBiz

“We believe India is an attractive and important market and we are currently developing our strategy there.” — Jane Randel, Vice-President, Corporate Communications, Liz Claiborne.

Liz Clairborne, the New York (US)-based fashion group that designs and markets a global portfolio of retail-based premium brands including Kate Spade, Juicy Couture, Lucky Brand and Mexx, covering a wide range of product categories like apparel, accessories, jewellery, and fragrances, may, according to a Live Mint report, join hands with Reliance Retail, a Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance group company, to open an exclusive chain of Liz Clairborne fashion stores in India.

Besides the Direct Brands as mentioned above, the $5 billion Liz Clairborne group, also offers a group of department store-based Partenered brands with strong consumer franchises, including the Liz Clairborne and Monet families of brands, Enyce and the licensed DKNY Jeans and DKNY Active brands. Liz Clairborne was founded 32 years ago by Liz Claiborne and three partners.

Reliance Retail, in a changed policy stance, of late has become quite aggressive in stitching up alliances with MNC retail brands under different segments.

Recently, Reliance formed a joint venture with the UK-based Marks & Spencer to set up a chain of the iconic brand’s fashion and houseware stores in India. Perhaps, for the first time in the group’s history, Reliance in this case agreed to concede majority ownership of 51% to a foreign partner.

Currently, Reliance is operating over 600 retail stores under several general merchandise and speciality stores across the country. In the fashion segment, Reliance is already operating independent speciality chains for clothes (Reliance Trendz), for jewellery (Reliance Jewels), and for footwear (Reliance Footprint).