The Indian sportswear market, long dominated by domestic giants and a handful of global incumbents, is about to welcome an influx of international labels through an ambitious expansion plan from Brandman Retail, New Balance’s long-standing partner in the subcontinent. The retailer announced on June 9 that it will introduce brands including Salomon, Anta, and other global names to the Indian market while more than quintupling its store count to 250 by 2028.
The expansion plan also signals New Balance’s confidence in its Indian trajectory. By empowering a local partner to build a multi-brand platform, the Boston-based company gains distribution density without bearing the full capital burden of direct retail expansion. For Salomon, which has seen explosive growth in the US and Europe through its fusion of Gorpcore aesthetics and trail performance, India represents a largely untapped market where its technical credibility could translate into a premium positioning.
India’s retail infrastructure remains a challenge — fragmented real estate, supply chain complexity, and varying consumer preferences across states require local expertise that Brandman Retail has spent decades cultivating. But the prize is substantial: a market where sportswear penetration per capita remains a fraction of developed economies, and where the aspirational pull of global brands shows no sign of slowing. Brandman’s bet is that the next wave of Indian consumers will want what the rest of the world wants, only on their own terms.
Brandman Retail’s aggressive timeline reflects a conviction that India is approaching a tipping point for branded sportswear consumption. With a young population whose disposable income is rising faster than the national average, and a fitness culture accelerated by the post-pandemic focus on wellness, the conditions resemble those that transformed the Chinese sportswear market a decade ago. Salomon’s technical trail aesthetic and Anta’s Chinese-engineered performance credentials offer Indian consumers something the current market lacks: variety beyond the dominant players.
