Trent mirrors Westside’s store model online, says no to flash sales

Trent mirrors Westside’s store model online, says no to flash sales

Trent is bringing Westside’s in-store model to its online presence, steering clear of flash sales and discounting, Managing Director Palaniswamy Venkatesalu said on the sidelines of the launch of the retail fashion brand’s YNG collection.

Venkatesalu said 5–6 percent of Westside’s sales now come from digital channels, which the company regards as significant. The online store matches physical outlets in both pricing and product selection, making e-commerce an extension of the brand.

“Westside is about 5–6 percent online, but 5–6 percent of Westside is very material and there are very few brands that have actually scaled online,” Venkatesalu said. “It is exactly what you see in the store, it’s exactly what you’re getting online. It’s not a separate business. It is the brand.”

The Tata Group-owned company, which also operates Zudio, is positioning  itself as a multiple- brand platform.

“Trent is not just about one brand; it serves as a platform, and that’s how we approach it. Why can’t we create more billion-dollar brands?” Venkatesalu said. “Incorporating one new brand into our portfolio every five years is very powerful.”

Over the past five years, Trent has introduced three new brands — Burnt Toast, Samoh, and Utsah — and has also expanded Zudio Beauty into a standalone format. These build on its established businesses Zudio, the value fashion brand, Westside, which caters to a premium segment, and Star, its food and grocery arm.

Zudio has become a major growth driver, crossing $1 billion in revenue in FY25. In the June quarter of FY26, Zudio and Westside together contributed 82 percent of Trent’s Rs 4,883 crore revenue, while Star accounted for the remaining 18 percent.

Tech edge to fashion

Venkatesalu said Trent is already applying artificial intelligence (AI) across several areas of its operations. “AI is touching a whole bunch of areas that we are interested in. Is it making a difference? Yes. A lot of the joy may be actually behind the scenes, not necessarily what is customer facing,” he said.

Umashan Naidoo, head– customer & beauty at Trent, added, “It does make things quicker. What would take me three weeks with a copywriter and an agency, I can now do in three days. You can do things faster and you can save money on a full production.”

On the changes in the goods and services tax (GST) rate for apparel, Venkatesalu said the company would ensure customers benefit. “One unambiguous commitment from our end is that if we get a benefit, it will land in the customer’s hand because I think it’s a brand philosophy. We’re going to make it super simple. We’ll probably not touch most prices except for passing on benefits,” he said.

The company is consolidating smaller stores into larger formats to improve customer experience. “Consolidation is actually more compelling because you then move the brand on,” he said.

Venkatesalu added that Trent remains optimistic about new categories such as beauty and personal care, innerwear and footwear. These account for around 21 percent of the company’s revenue and are seeing strong growth.

As of June 30, the company's store portfolio included 248 Westside, 766 Zudio and 29 stores across other lifestyle concepts.

Looking abroad

Venkatesalu said Westside has begun testing international markets. “At least the aspiration is to turn around and set sights on not only being an Indian brand… we’ve gone to Dubai. Now, is Dubai a proximate market that Westside would appeal to an audience? I do think one day, yes.”