Tata Group's Trent Ltd is winding down its affordable ethnicwear stores of the Utsa brand after the format failed to generate sufficient sales and profitability to justify a standalone store chain. According to reports from Mint, from a peak of over 20 stores about two years ago, the count has already dropped to four operational stores: in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Thiruvananthapuram. The store in Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad is set to shut down by 15 September, with shutters on another one coming up soon. The brand was initially a sub-brand within Westside's ethnicwear portfolio, offering affordable kurtas, kurta sets, salwar suits and dresses, largely in the ₹1,000–₹3,000 price range.
According to a 27 June 2025 analyst report by HDFC Securities, Utsa had 22 stores across 12 cities in FY24, up from 17 stores across five cities in FY23, but the network subsequently declined to 20 stores across 13 cities in FY25. The average Utsa store size was estimated at 2,000–3,000 sq. ft. As reported by Mint, the company decided to launch standalone Utsa formats after seeing huge demand for the label across its Westside stores and attempting to capture the broader ethnicwear market share, with the first standalone store opened in Pune in 2019.
The pullback comes despite the significant opportunity in the ethnicwear segment, where women's wear accounted for about 40% of India's ₹5.8 trillion apparel market in FY24, with ethnicwear making up 60–65%. According to a CRISIL MI&A report, the women's ethnicwear market is expected to reach ₹3.6–3.7 trillion by FY29, growing at 9-10% annually. Trent faces competition from established players including Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail's W, Aurelia and Jaypore, as well as Reliance Retail's ethnicwear offerings and digitally-driven brands such as Libas. Aditya Birla Fashion says its ethnic portfolio generated over ₹2,200 crore in annual revenue in FY26 and added more than 80 stores during the year.
As reported by Mint, some Utsa stores are being replaced by Burnt Toast, a youth-focused lifestyle brand, at some locations, though details on these numbers or their locations were not provided. Research analyst Sandeep Abhange from LKP Securities noted that Utsa had no clear moat, as Westside already covered the same customer, price point and category, leaving little incremental market and risking cannibalization. He said new Utsa racks are not being spotted at Trent stores, with what remains largely sale inventory. Trent has not entirely abandoned the ethnicwear opportunity, having launched the Samoh brand in 2023 as a more premium, elevated occasion-wear proposition priced at around ₹2,000–₹7,000.
According to Mint, Trent has not entirely abandoned the ethnicwear opportunity, having launched the Samoh brand in 2023 as a more premium, elevated occasion-wear proposition positioned above its mass and affordable fashion formats. As of 30 June 2026, Trent had 301 Westside stores and 982 Zudio stores, including seven in the UAE, alongside 29 other lifestyle stores. It added one Westside and 19 Zudio stores on a net basis during the June quarter. Consolidated revenue rose 17.8% year-on-year to ₹5,754.7 crore, while net profit rose 22% to ₹518.1 crore.
