Marks & Spencer to scale up India operations

British retail house Marks & Spencer intends to set up 50 more outlets in the country in the coming years. The company, which is present in India through a joint venture (JV) with Reliance Retail, is also looking at increasing its product range in the country. 

"We currently have 14 stores across seven cities in India and further plan to open at least 50 new stores in India over the next few years," said Nandini Sethuraman, Head of Marketing Marks & Spencer Reliance India Pvt Ltd. 

"Marks & Spencer believes India offers significant expansion opportunities and the potential is huge with a wider range of products, bigger M&S stores and a better brand experience overall," she added. 

Sethuraman said the initial investment in the JV was of 29 million pound (around Rs 220 crore) and both the partners may put in more money in future. 

"The total value of the initial investment into the JV will be up to 29 million pound sterling, wherein M&S invested up to 14.79 pound sterling and Reliance Retail invested up to 14.21 pound sterling. Both parties will provide further funding in the near future," she said.