Future Lifestyle picks 27.5 percent stake in Desi Belle

With the aim of strengthening its fashion business, newly formed Future Lifestyle

Fashions (FLF), under the Kishore Biyani-led Future Group, has bought 27.5 percent stake in Resource World Exim. Its engaged in women’s fashion apparel business under the brand 'Desi Belle', as per a stock market disclosure.

Incorporated in 2012, Mumbai-based Desi Belle was founded by Sharmila Nadkarni who has worked with Future Group’s Big Bazaar earlier, where she headed the fashion category. Desi Belle is an affordable fashion brand in Indo-fusion wear for women. The brand has presence across stores in Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Ahmadabad, Surat, Jaipur, Indore, Raipur, Gurgaon, Vadodara and Kerala apart from the e-commerce platform.

Last month, the group had picked 11 percent stake for Rs 55 lakh in Eclat Lifestyle, which runs footwear business under Famozi label. Experts feel the group’s shift in focus towards lifestyle businesses is because of the substantially higher margins this segment earns compared to other categories. Future Lifestyle currently operates four million square foot of retail space.