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Double TWO are pleased to announce exciting plans to expand into India in 2017. This will include the opening of three retail stores located in call centres as well as a planned flagship store located in a shopping centre in the heart of Bangalore.

A range of Double TWO Shirts, ties, knitwear and cufflinks will be stocked within one call centre store while the other two will be ‘catalogue shops’.

Instead of carrying stock, these ‘catalogue shops’ will be able to use samples and sizing sets to choose what they want, before placing an order online. Orders will be delivered the next day in the Bangalore area.

Double TWO has rented a 10,000 sq. foot warehouse in Bangalore, and will hire staff and vans for the next-day delivery service. Retail staff will be hired and trained by the UK team.

The Indian stores will be smaller than Double TWO’s traditional shop space, at around 700 sq. foot compared with 1,500 sq. foot.

“This will enable faster expansion,” explains Richard Donner, chairman of Double TWO, who runs the business with his son, John.

Acquiring the shops has been a joint venture with local Bangalore entrepreneur, Anand Anamalai.

The first Double TWO India stores are expected to open in February 2017 with a bid currently in place for a flagship store in the Phoenix Market City Mall in Bangalore. In addition to this, Double TWO are also in discussions with Indian based ecommerce company Flipkart to sell locally online.

“The Modi government is cutting red tape, reducing import restrictions and building huge infrastructure projects such as roads, ports, modern railways and regional airports,” says Richard Donner.

“A high percentage of people speak English and even feel part of the British way of life. Nearly half of India’s 1 billion people now have incomes that enable them to buy mobile phones, TV sets, cars and a good education. Bangalore is at the centre of this huge leap forward.”

Production will be done by the shirt makers already established sources in the Far East and Indian subcontinent. Large bulk orders bought for the UK and Europe will be split to give smaller packages for India.

The family owned British brand continues to thrive with 1000 doors of customer shops and 24 dedicated Double TWO retail stores across the UK, an ever growing retail website and further expansion plans in China. In addition, 40% of Double TWO’s sales go to mainland Europe.