King Khan To Cast Spell On Retail High Street

Economic Times:

Film star Shahrukh Khan is entering the high-street retail play with some of the biggest global brands in tow. Senior industry sources said that he’s partnering real estate major MGF in its retail arm Aryan Lifestyle, which has just picked up the exclusive franchisee rights for Nike and Tag Heuer.

Aryan Lifestyle is also in talks to pick up the distribution and store rights of Tommy Hilfiger. The move is interesting as an equal JV between the Murjanis and Arvind Mills holds the brand rights for Tommy Hilfiger in India. The brand has banked on a multiple franchisee model to develop exclusive shops till date, but is now keen on speeding up expansion through department stores as well.

Aryan Lifestyle COO Deepak Chabbra confirmed that the company has taken over the franchisee rights for Nike and Tag Heuer but declined to comment on the prospective partnership with Tommy Hilfiger and whether King Khan is a stakeholder in the company.

‘I cannot comment on future plans. We will make announcements at the appropriate time.’ Interestingly, Shahrukh’s 10-year-old son Aryan and the actor have been the brand ambassador for Tag Heuer for almost 3 years now. The CEO of Tommy Hilfiger in India Shailesh Chaturvedi also declined to comment. “I have no comments to make on this.’