Last updated : February 27, 2026 5:13 pm
In an exclusive conversation with Retail4Growth, Vijai Subramaniam, Chairman and Co-Founder of Royaloak Furniture, shares the brand’s calibrated expansion strategy across flagship and smaller-format stores.
Buying furniture in India has rarely been a simple, one-stop exercise. Most homeowners still move from one store to another. A sofa from here, a mattress from there, décor from somewhere else, and then trying to piece everything together. Royaloak Furniture wants to change that. With more than 200 stores across the country, the brand is entering a new phase of growth. From adding interior solutions to introducing smaller formats for emerging cities, Royaloak is steadily building a larger footprint.
Speaking to Retail4Growth, Vijai Subramaniam, Chairman and Co-Founder of Royaloak Furniture, shares about this shift and what lies ahead. “A customer walking into a Royaloak store should be able to address every major requirement they have for their home, under one roof,” he says. That thinking is shaping the expansion plan of Royaloak Furniture – across formats, categories, and markets.
Expanding the meaning of a furniture store
For years, furniture retail largely revolved around display scale, be it bigger showrooms, more SKUs, or wider price ranges. Today, differentiation means something deeper. It means offering solutions, not just products.
“We are transitioning from a furniture-led format to a comprehensive home solutions destination,” Vijai explains. The idea is to reduce the fragmented purchase cycle that typically defines home setup in India.
Going smaller to go deep
Expansion for Royaloak is not limited to adding large flagship stores. The brand is also recalibrating format sizes to suit emerging markets. As Vijai mentions, “We have introduced Royaloak Value Stores, particularly for Tier 3 and emerging Tier 2 markets. These are smaller-format stores designed to align with the scale and consumption patterns of such cities. While the physical display is curated and space-efficient, customers are given access to our full catalogue through assisted digital browsing and centralised fulfilment.”
This model allows the brand to make organised furniture retail viable in markets that may not yet support a large-format store. Parallely, Royaloak studies niche and high-value segments that may require a differentiated retail experience with stronger design intensity and curated presentation.
House of Interiors - The new vertical
The idea of House of Interiors began with one simple observation – homeowners juggle multiple vendors, from designers to contractors, often without clear accountability.
“Traditionally, furniture retailers focused on selling individual products. We identified an opportunity to bring structure and single-point responsibility into that journey,” Vijai says.
House of Interiors begins with expert design consultation and structured space planning. A team of trained designers work closely with customers to understand lifestyle needs, space constraints, and functionality before moving into execution. Royaloak’s sourcing and manufacturing ecosystem then supports the process, ensuring consistency in materials and finish, followed by professional installation.
Rather than operating as standalone studios, House of Interiors is being integrated into Royaloak’s existing store network. This allows the brand to leverage its nationwide store network to offer interior solutions alongside furniture retail.
How technology is blended in the stores
Technology at Royaloak works hand-in-hand with how the store itself is planned. The in-store journey is intentionally designed rather than left to chance, especially given the scale of its multi-floor formats.
Vijai explains, “The journey of any customer who walks into a Royaloak store begins at entry with systematic footfall tracking and customer data capture. Understanding how customers discovered us (through marketing campaigns, signage visibility, or digital channels) helps us evaluate marketing effectiveness and optimise investments. Every walk-in is integrated into our CRM ecosystem, which ensures continuity between physical and digital engagement.”
The expansion roadmap
Over the next three to five years, Royaloak plans to add 50 to 100 stores, adopting a calibrated mix of large flagship formats and optimised smaller-format outlets suited for Tier 2 and emerging urban markets.
They are also planning to expand their franchise network and strengthen B2B partnerships with developers, designers, co-living operators, and hospitality players. As Vijai mentions, “Our franchise-led retail model plays a vital role in our expansion. We partner with strong local entrepreneurs, which allows us to enter markets efficiently while maintaining operational control and brand consistency. The larger vision is to transition from being a large furniture retailer to becoming a comprehensive home and lifestyle ecosystem with national scale and operational depth,” he concludes.