Carrefour and Dubai’s Apparel Group plan India expansion

Alamy/Frederic Reglain

• $1trn-plus market growing 25% annually
• Five north India stores to open next year
• Carrefour previously abandoned market

Dubai’s Apparel Group has teamed up with Carrefour to take the French supermarket retailer into the Indian market.

The franchise agreement will see the first five Carrefour stores open in 2025, with a particular focus on the north of India, before expanding nationwide.

“This partnership represents a significant step in strengthening our position in India,” said Nilesh Ved, owner of Apparel Group and chairperson of AppCorp Holding.

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The Apparel Group was launched in Dubai in 1996, operating in clothing, food and beverage retail. It has more than 85 brands and over 2,300 stores in 14 countries across the Middle East, India, Southeast Asia and Africa.

Carrefour previously operated in India in 2010 but closed its five stores in 2014, blaming a lack of custom and a failure to find a partner to expand its business.

The country’s retail sector has enjoyed significant growth over the last 10 years. 

India currently has the fourth largest retail market in the world, which is expected to reach $1.1 trillion by 2027 and $2 trillion by 2032, growing at 25 percent CAGR, according to the latest Invest India figures.

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“India is now the cornerstone of the Carrefour International Partnership 2026 development plan, marking a significant step forward in our strategy to expand into over 10 new countries by 2026,” Patrick Lasfargues, Carrefour’s executive director of international partnership said.

The retail giant has a long-standing franchise agreement with Dubai-based family conglomerate Majid Al Futtaim, which runs 467 Carrefour stores in 14 countries across the Middle East, North Africa and CIS regions.

It has proven to be a busy month for Apparel Group, which last week signed a partnership agreement with British heritage and lifestyle brand Barbour.

The first Barbour store will open in Dubai by the spring of 2025, according to a statement from the company.