Fashion and apparel remains India’s largest retail leasing category in H1 says CBRE - FashionNetwork

Why this matters

The persistence of fashion and apparel as India’s dominant retail leasing category in the first half of the year underscores enduring consumer demand patterns in emerging markets, with implications for global institutional capital allocation. For US investors eyeing retail exposure abroad, this signals that despite global retail headwinds—ranging from e-commerce disruption to inflationary pressures—certain subsectors retain resilience in growth economies. Fashion and apparel’s leasing prominence suggests that physical retail remains a critical channel for consumer engagement in India, potentially supporting stable rental income streams and tenant demand. From a capital markets perspective, this trend may influence cross-border fund strategies, encouraging a tilt toward retail assets in markets where demographic and income growth underpin consumption. It also highlights the importance of granular sector analysis within retail; broad-brush bearishness on retail can obscure pockets of strength tied to local consumer behavior. For lenders, sustained leasing activity in fashion and apparel could signal lower vacancy risk and more predictable cash flows, factors that mitigate underwriting concerns in a sector often viewed as volatile. Overall, the data point invites a recalibration of risk-return assumptions for retail real estate in emerging markets, reinforcing the need for nuanced, market-specific due diligence in institutional portfolio construction.

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On the RET wire

• Disclosed retail deal value tracked in July 2026: $2.3B across 71 reported transactions. All Retail coverage →
• 67 stories mentioning CBRE on the wire in the past 90 days. CBRE coverage →

Computed from Real Estate Trail’s own tracked coverage

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