Version 1: Italian fashion brand OVS wants 11 stores in India by 2028, then plans to speed up

OVS has three Indian stores today. It wants to learn what Indian shoppers like first, then grow faster from 2029.

Picture a clothes shop as big as about 14 badminton courts put together, filled with shirts, dresses and kids' wear from Italy. That is the newest store of OVS in Mumbai, and the brand says many more are coming. On 23 October 2026, Business Standard reported that the Italian fashion retailer plans to have 11 stores in India by 2028, and then grow faster from 2029.

Right now it has just three. So why go slow first, and fast later? Here is the story, in plain words.

Who is OVS?

OVS is a fashion brand from Italy. It sells everyday clothes for the whole family: women, men and kids. Apparel Resources called it Italy's largest fashion retailer when it announced its India debut. Around the world, the brand has 2,600 stores across many markets.

Its pitch is simple: Italian design at prices normal people can pay. Think of it like a good local tailor who also knows what is trending in Milan, but charges you mall prices, not designer prices.

This is not the brand's first time in India. It once sold here through a joint venture, which is when two companies team up and run one business together, like two friends sharing one samosa stall. Manifest Media reported that the current launch is a re-entry. This time, the brand's India business is led by managing director Sundeep Chugh.

How the India journey started

The first store opened in October 2025 at Pacific Mall, Tagore Garden, in New Delhi. It was spread across 9,000 sq ft. Before the opening, the brand set up a pop-up inside the mall styled like a colourful European tram, so shoppers could get a first look at the clothes.

A pop-up is a small, short-time shop, like a festival stall that comes up for a few days and then disappears.

Next came Mumbai. The brand opened at Sky City Mall in Borivali, a store of over 11,000 sq ft. Back then, Chugh told Manifest Media that the focus had always been Delhi NCR and Mumbai. The same report said a store at R City mall in Ghatkopar was planned for later in the year.

Now, OVS has three stores in India. Its latest one, in Mumbai, is its biggest at 12,400 sq ft.

Bar chart comparing OVS India store sizes: 9,000 sq ft in Delhi, over 11,000 sq ft in Borivali, 12,400 sq ft for the latest Mumbai store — Each new OVS store in India has been bigger than the last.

The plan: 11 stores by 2028

According to Business Standard, OVS will end 2026 with four stores. By December 2028, it wants 11. Each store will be between 8,000 and 12,000 sq ft.

The stores will come up in metros and tier-one cities. Metros are the very biggest cities, like Delhi and Mumbai. Tier-one cities are the next big group of large, busy cities.

Chugh told Business Standard that going from the first store in October 2025 to 11 stores by December 2028 is, in his view, a decent journey. He also said the team wants to study how the stores are doing, learn from it, and then be ready to speed up.

Four steps of the OVS India plan: first store in Delhi in October 2025, Mumbai stores in 2026 for three in total, learning what Indian buyers like, and 11 stores by December 2028 — First learn, then grow: the OVS India plan in four steps.

Why not open 100 stores at once?

Think of a new chai stall owner. On day one, you do not open ten stalls across the city. You open one, see which tea sells, how much sugar people like, and what price feels fair. Only then do you open more.

OVS is doing the same thing. The brand wants to learn three things first: who its customers are, what prices work, and which products sell. Once it has those lessons, it plans to grow faster.

Chugh has said that, for the first two to three years, the brand wants to focus on physical stores, meaning real shops you can walk into, and build a bond with shoppers through the experience of visiting. He told Manifest Media that the idea is to watch closely, talk to customers, assess and improve, and only after that scale up more aggressively.

Before and after panels: three OVS stores today, eleven stores by December 2028, each 8,000 to 12,000 sq ft — Today versus the end of 2028.

What does a typical OVS shopper spend?

Two numbers help here, both from Business Standard.

Average selling price: ₹1,800 to ₹2,200. This is the usual price tag on one item. So one item usually costs somewhere in that range.
Average basket size: 2.8. This is how many items one shopper buys in one visit, on average. It is like going to a snack stall and ordering almost three plates instead of one.

Chugh said these are the key numbers the brand will keep track of as it grows. He also told Manifest Media that OVS has tried to keep its India prices close to its global prices, while keeping them practical for Indian buyers.

What about shopping online?

OVS is building its own online store for India. It should go live by the end of the April to June quarter, Business Standard reported. A quarter is just a three-month part of the year, like one term in school.

The brand expects online sales to be very small at first. But over the next five to seven years, it hopes 12 to 15 out of every 100 rupees of sales will come from online. Chugh said that is in line with other international brands in India.

Why foreign fashion brands want India

When OVS first announced its India launch, Chugh said India was one of the most dynamic chances in global fashion, driven by a young population and a rising demand for international style, as Apparel Resources reported.

But Indian shoppers are not easy to win. Manifest Media described them as digitally aware but deeply value-conscious. In simple words: they know what is trending on Instagram, but they also check the price tag twice. That is a big reason the brand is testing slowly before it runs.

Other OVS brands, later

The OVS group owns more than one brand. For now, though, the India team will stick to family fashion, Business Standard reported. Only after OVS settles down and sees enough demand will it think about bringing its other brands to India.

So the next time you walk into a mall in Delhi or Mumbai and spot a big OVS sign, you will know the plan behind it: start small, learn fast, then grow.

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As it was first published

Italian fashion brand OVS wants 11 stores in India by 2028, then plans to speed up