Archive · 30 Aug 2026
Indian Retailers Turn Brand Acquisitions Into Growth Strategy
Indian retail companies are buying existing brands instead of always creating new ones.
This can help them enter new categories more quickly.
Reliance Retail bought Anomaly, a haircare brand founded by Priyanka Chopra.
It also acquired the technology behind Furrl, an AI fashion-discovery platform.
Senco Gold bought most of Melorra, a jewellery brand designed for online shoppers.
Menswear company SNITCH bought Berrylush to start selling women’s clothing.
These purchases give companies teams, customers, technology, and brand recognition immediately.
The article says this is useful because finding new customers online is becoming more expensive.
It also says companies that raise money through IPOs may use that capital to buy more brands.
Meesho and Lenskart had marquee listings in FY2025-26, while acquisitions gained importance across Indian retail.
Reliance Retail acquired Anomaly’s brand assets and Furrl’s technology to expand its beauty and fashion capabilities.
Senco Gold bought a 68% stake in digital-first jewellery brand Melorra in January.
SNITCH acquired full ownership of women’s fashion label Berrylush to enter a second apparel category.
Rising customer-acquisition costs and available IPO capital are making acquisitions faster than building brands organically.
- Who
- Indian retail and e-commerce companies, including Reliance Retail, Senco Gold, and SNITCH.
- What
- They are using acquisitions to gain brands, technologies, capabilities, and access to new customer groups.
- When
- The article highlights developments in 2026, including acquisitions in January, April, July, and August, alongside listings in FY2025-26.
- Where
- India’s fashion, retail, jewellery, beauty, and e-commerce markets.
- Why
- Acquisitions can provide faster growth than building new brands, especially as customer-acquisition costs rise and IPO capital becomes available.
- Major listings
- Meesho and Lenskart had marquee listings in FY2025-26, according to the article.
- Reliance-Anomaly deal
- Reliance Retail acquired Anomaly’s trademarks, brand assets, and digital properties in April 2026.
- Reliance-Furrl deal
- Reliance Retail acquired the technology behind Furrl, an Indian AI styling and fashion-discovery platform, in August 2026.
- Senco-Melorra deal
- Senco Gold acquired a 68% stake in Melorra in January 2026.
- SNITCH-Berrylush deal
- SNITCH acquired full ownership of women’s fashion label Berrylush in July 2026.
- Berrylush target
- SNITCH plans to scale Berrylush into a Rs 1,000 crore label under its “Berrylush 2.0” vision.
- Strategic rationale
- The article says acquisitions provide established teams, customer bases, technology, and brand equity from day one.