Madura is keen to run Forever 21 retail stores in India

American fast fashion brand Forever 21 is looking at an aggressive role in India and it is believed that Madura Fashion & Lifestyle has emerged as a strong contender to get the India rights for running the physical stores. For the past three years, Forever 21 has had a partnership with DLF Brands.

Even online fashion portal Myntra is in talks with the American brand. It has an exclusive deal with Forever 21 to sell its products online in India. Madura is also trying to get the online rights of the American brand which are till now held by Myntra. It is believed that Madura is actively chasing Forever 21 as it intends to bring the fashion brand onto its e-commerce platform Abof.com which has been primarily focusing on large private brand.

Forever 21 directly competes with Zara and Sweden’s H&M. It already operates a dozen retail stores in India. It entered India in 2010 through a Middle East-based group Sharaf Retail but could open just one store in New Delhi. It was only in 2013 that the company struck a deal with DLF Brands to open 40-50 stores in five years in India but the plan hit a roadblock.