By: Himanshi Jain
Last updated : September 24, 2025 3:09 pm
Retail4Growth spoke with Hanisha Gandhi, Executive Director of Archies, about the brand’s plans to expand its footprint to over 200 stores across India, bringing together nostalgia, emotional gifting, and modern retail experiences.
Archies, one of India’s iconic gifting brands, is charting a fresh path in retail expansion, focusing on markets where its emotional connect runs deep. Hanisha Gandhi, Executive Director of Archies, reveals that the brand is paying closer attention to smaller towns in North India – Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, where Archies has long been a part of family celebrations. “People in these markets still see Archies as special, almost aspirational, and that makes them important for growth,” she says. Around 10-12 new stores are planned this year alone, with the aim not merely to expand the footprint, but to strengthen bonds in communities where gifting still has a personal, shared meaning.
Less like shops and more like spaces
Archies is also rethinking its store design. Hanisha explains that new outlets would be “less like shops and more like spaces where people can enjoy spending time in.” She further adds, “Walking into an Archies store should feel like stepping into a memory book, filled with keepsakes, surprises, and reasons to pause. Instead of only focusing on a sleek premium look, layouts will feature corners for quick gifting, sections built around occasions, and zones where browsing feels effortless.”
The brand’s intent is to capture the warmth of occasions while blending it with modern retail cues. Each store aims to become an environment that makes customers pause, explore, and emotionally connect with the act of gifting in everyday life.
“Most of the planning and rollout of new stores is done by Archies’ internal team, so every store keeps the brand’s feel and emotional touch, with outside help only for special technical work. This way, quality is not compromised, and the pace of expansion can be managed more efficiently,” mentions Hanisha.
Omnichannel integration for better shopping
Archies is using technology to make shopping easier, whether online or in-store. The brand is introducing live inventory systems which would allow customers to check if a product is available online before going to a store, or they can buy something in-store and have it delivered to their home.
Hanisha explains, “The choice stays with the customer. Technology is an enabler, not a replacement. It should ensure convenience without diluting the emotional thread our brand is known for.”
By combining the ease of online shopping with the experience of visiting a store, Archies makes sure that gifting stays joyful while saving customers time and effort.
Archie’s Express on the way
To cater to the fast-paced lives of younger customers and urban shoppers, Archies has introduced Archie’s Express. These outlets will be compact, easy to access, and located in places people already visit, like malls, high streets, and neighbourhood hubs.
“This format is being launched with Delhi NCR as the starting point. Our younger audience prefers formats where they can step in, pick up something thoughtful, and move on,” Hanisha mentions.
The vision for the brand
Over the next five years, Archies plans to grow its retail presence to more than 200 stores, returning to the scale it had before the pandemic. “The goal is to stay India’s most loved place for gifting, available across the country, while keeping up with how people shop today,” Hanisha says. “Growth will come not just from opening more stores, but from making every customer experience special and memorable.”