Delhi goes up high street

Forget flying abroad to get your fix of high-end brands, they’re all available in your backyard now.

The phrase ‘shop till you drop’ has never held more meaning for shopaholic Delhiites, with designer labels, international brands and high-street labels opening in the city at blitzkrieg speed. While high-street clothing chains such as Mango, Pramod and Forever New have been around for a while, joining the fray is Spanish brand Zara, which opens at Select Citywalk, Saket today.

“High-street brand clothing are high on the fashion meter but friendly on the pocket. We shop in such stores while traveling abroad, and it’s great to have them in India now,” says socialite Payal Sen. “60-70 per cent of our population is youth and the collections that these brands offer are very different,” says entrepreneur Shabnum Singhal.

“We’re bringing to the store all the styles and features we have and depending upon the customer reactions, we’ll see if any changes are to be made,” says Jesus Echevarría, spokesperson, Zara, which is a favourite among Bollywood actresses such as Kareena Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, Malaika Arora Khan, Ayesha Takia and Neetu Chandra.

“Mango and Promod have been performing exceptionally well in the Delhi market. South Delhi sales are at par with international markets like Dubai and Singapore. In the last one year, we’ve seen an increase in sales of 20-25 per cent,” says Kamal Kotak, Country Head, Major Brands.