Title: Raymond Group Charting a New Path: Expansion, Real Estate Growth, and Foray into Defense & Aerospace
"Gautam Singhania announces strategic, selective store expansions for this year"
Gautam Singhania, Chairman of the Iconic Raymond Group, Outlines Strategic Plans
Get ready to witness some bold moves from the legendary Raymond Group, renowned for its textiles and apparel line. A quick sit-down with Chairman and Managing Director, Gautam Singhania, gave us exclusive insights into the group's future plans, focusing on strategic retail expansion, robust real estate growth, and a fresh bet on the defense and aerospace sectors. Here are the highlights:
Washington Post [Collection of articles] | Mint Liesl Louw-Vaudran Manasi Daney
Catching Up on the Lifestyle Business Hiccups
The stormy quarters of 2025 have left a slight dent in the group's lifestyle business, which contributes around 60% to the overall topline. But hold tight, my friend, because the future is looking brighter with improving retail demand indeed on the horizon. The optimism stems from fiscal stimulus measures that rolled out in April, so don't count the group out just yet! As they take on a conservative, selective approach to retail expansion in 2026, keep an eye on those store count numbers.
The Defense and Aerospace Frontier
The guns are loaded and aimed at the defense and aerospace sectors to fire off fresh growth spurts. You might recall that last year saw the separation of the defense and aerospace vertical into an unlisted subsidiary, following the consolidation of the engineering businesses under one roof through the acquisition of Maini Precision Products. Something big is brewing, folks! With geopolitical Chaos erupting worldwide and border tensions smoldering, the demand for defense and aerospace goods is heating up. Raymond Group is keen on capitalizing on these opportunities as they ignite. Expect them to join forces with Adani Defence & Aerospace and more!
Ringing the Bell for Raymond Realty
Fancy some real estate drama? Raymond Realty is about to make its grand debut on the National Stock Exchange and BSE in the next 45 days. This independent entity marked its independence from the company through a demerger effective May 1, 2025. And to think it took them just about a year to accomplish that feat! Being one of their fastest-growing ventures, Raymond Realty is the group's ticket to quick cash. Remember their joint development agreements? Well, those add up to a potential gross development value of over Rs 50,000 crore!
The Takeaway
Bucket-list alert! The Raymond Group is gearing up for big things in retail, real estate, and defense and aerospace. Expect selective retail expansion and a cautious approach to retail expansion in 2026, while the real estate segment is slated for listing in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, Raymond is brewing up something exciting in the defense and aerospace sectors, taking full advantage of government's 'Make in India' initiative and the current geopolitical landscape.
- The Raymond Group, known for its textiles and apparel line, plans to extend its presence in the finance sector by strategically expanding its retail business and cautiously approaching retail expansion in 2026.
- In addition, the group is making strategic moves in the defense and aerospace industry, capitalizing on the increased demand for such goods due to global geopolitical chaos and border tensions, and is expected to partner with other major players like Adani Defence & Aerospace.
