Future Group brings UK's Laura Ashley to India

Kishore Biyani led Future group has inked licensing agreement with UK clothing and homeware retailer Laura Ashley to make and sell merchandise as well as wholesale distribution in India. Laura Ashley runs about 446 stores globally, 194 of which are located in the UK, Ireland and France, with the remaining 252 being franchise stores situated in 29 territories across the world. "Future Retail Ltd, part of the Future Group, and Laura Ashley have signed an exclusive right and licence to establish, own and operate stores and websites in India," the Future Group said in a statement. "Under this arrangement, Future Retail will also have the right to purchase merchandise for sale in India as well as the right to manufacture or order the manufacturing of the licensed products from Laura Ashley." Headquartered in London, Laura Ashley specializes in retailing furniture, home accessories, decorating and fashion products. Kishore Biyani, Group CEO, Future Group, said, "This partnership is another step towards bringing aspirational products in the market. Customers will now have an even wider range of home furnishings to choose from." "Continuing to grow and develop our international presence and explore new partnership opportunities is an important part of our strategy and we have made good progress. We signed a new licence partner for the Indian market which strongly positions the brand for advancing in the territory in future," a Laura Ashley spokesperson said.