MAM
Raymond to increase brand-specific stores
BANGALORE: As part of its strategy to open exclusive Park Avenue stores in the country, Park Avenue launched its first exclusive store in Bangalore.
Located at Brigade Road, the Park Avenue store was inaugurated by Raymond Group president Pradeep Bhandari.
Speaking on the launch, Bhandari said, “This launch marks our entry in Southern India with this exclusive branded store from Raymond Apparel Ltd. The first Park Avenue store, launched in January 2005 in Mumbai, has received an overwhelming response. We plan to open around 15 more Park Avenue stores in the next 12 to 18 months all over India.”
“We plan to bring in more brand exclusive outlets. We’ve around 290 Raymond outlets, 20 of them owned or managed by Raymond which retail only all our brands. As has been the norm we shall continue growing at the rate of 25-30 new outlets every year, besides, we’ve also invested around Rs 1 billion across three apparel manufacturing plants in and around Bangalore,” added Bhandari.
Raymond has four brands, three through their 100 per cent subsidiary Raymond Apparel Ltd (RAL). RAL has in its folio three highly regarded men’s wear brands including Park Avenue, Parx and Manzoni.
Park Avenue registers counter sales of around RS 1.5 billion (RS 1.1 billion ex-factory) annually, while all the brands bring in around RS 3.6 billion. Bhandari expects the two Park Avenue stores in Mumbai and Bangalore to rake in around RS 35-37 million during this fiscal. The turnover for the Raymond group, which had exited their cement business some time ago by hiving it off to a French cement major, is RS 18 billion.
Brands
From mega bills to spontaneous dates: Swiggy Dineout Valentine’s report
From mega bills to last-minute plans, India celebrated love with flair
MUMBAI: Valentine’s Day 2026 was a feast for the senses and wallets alike, according to Swiggy Dineout. India’s on-demand dining platform revealed how the nation celebrated romance with big gestures, lively nights out, and plenty of spontaneous bookings.
Metropolitan hubs continued to rule the roost with Bengaluru, Delhi, and Hyderabad seeing the most reservations. Emerging cities aren’t far behind, with Ahmedabad, Jaipur, and Chandigarh joining the party. Growth was particularly striking in Surat (up 180 per cent), Vadodara (155 per cent) and Bhubaneswar (145.5 per cent) compared with the previous Saturday.
Mumbai stole the headlines with a single customer splashing out Rs 130,155 – the highest bill in the country. The city also hosted the largest single group booking, with 30 diners coming together to celebrate in style. Most Valentine’s transactions took place between 10pm and 11pm, proving love, and hunger, strike late.
Mumbai stole the spotlight with a mega-spender whose bill made everyone else blush, while savvy diners were cashing in on discounts, including a Pune customer saving 60% and another in Bengaluru saving 50 per cent. Fine dining was on fire, with bookings up 121 per cent year-on-year, though pubs, bars, and lounges remained the crowd favourites, accounting for 30.6 per cent of all reservations. Last-minute romance was the order of the day, with 66 per cent of diners booking within two hours of heading out. Together, India saved over Rs 6 crore, proving that love can be grand, yet thrifty.
Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Delhi led the premium dining rush, showing a growing appetite for curated, high-end experiences. Meanwhile, spontaneous bookings reinforced modern lifestyles, where convenience and instant gratification rule the day.
Whether it was big spends, huge groups, or a last-minute romantic dash, Valentine’s Day 2026 proved love and dining go hand in hand – and sometimes, they go all out.
