Zudio Franchise Cost: What Trent's Own Annual Report Says a Store Takes
Trent's FY26 annual report puts a new Zudio store at ₹3–4 crore and 10,000–12,000 sq ft, far above the ₹75 lakh figure online. Zudio takes franchise enquiries, but publishes no fee or terms and runs most of its 963 stores itself.
A new Zudio store costs about ₹3–4 crore, according to Trent Limited, the Tata company that owns the brand. Its FY2025-26 annual report says the capital employed for a new Zudio store is "in the region of ₹3-4 Crores, including capex, deposits and inventory", for a store of 10,000 to 12,000 sq ft. That is roughly three to five times the ₹75 lakh to ₹1 crore figure that circulates online, for a store two to four times the size those sites quote. Zudio does accept franchise enquiries through a "Retail Business Associate" form on its website, and Trent's report confirms that a small share of its stores are run by franchise. But Trent publishes no franchise fee, no royalty and no investor terms, and most of the 963 Zudio stores (31 March 2026) are run by Trent itself.
What Trent's annual report says a Zudio store costs
The cost figure sits in the Zudio section of Trent's integrated annual report for 2025-26, filed with the exchanges in May 2026. The report lists the store count, the store size and the money it takes to open one. Here are the main numbers:
| Metric (FY2025-26) | Figure |
|---|---|
| Capital employed per new store | ₹3–4 crore (capex, deposits and inventory) |
| Typical store size | 10,000–12,000 sq ft |
| Zudio stores, 31 March 2026 | 963, including 6 in the UAE |
| Indian cities covered | 310, in 30 states and union territories |
| New domestic stores in FY26 | 208 opened, 14 consolidated |
| New cities entered in FY26 | 76 |
Over 80% of the new stores opened in Tier II and III cities or in newer growth pockets on the edge of Tier I cities. Trent's management wrote in the same report that Zudio reaches only about 100 million customers today, against a long-term aim of around 500 million for each of its fashion brands. In other words, the company plans to keep opening a lot of stores. The ₹3–4 crore figure is what Trent spends from its own balance sheet to do that.
Does Zudio give franchises? What the filings actually show
The honest answer is "rarely, and on terms nobody publishes". Two things are on record. First, Zudio's website has a franchise page titled Retail Business Associate Form. It asks for your yearly turnover in crores (a mandatory field), whether you have run a franchise before, whether you own commercial space, and that space's area, frontage and local demographics. The page says that "submitting the franchise form doesn't guarantee a franchise allotment" and that the company is "under no obligation to consider your request". It lists no fee, royalty, investment range or minimum area. Second, the sustainability section of Trent's annual report lists 1,280 fashion stores in India, then notes that only the 1,175 stores operated by the Company were counted because "the stores operated by franchise are not considered". The difference is 105 stores, our own subtraction, or about 8% of the network. That figure covers every Trent fashion brand, Westside included, and the report does not say how many are Zudio stores or who runs them. Some may not involve outside investors at all. The report says Trent's Star grocery business runs a Zudio section inside most of its stores under an arrangement with Trent, and that a Trent subsidiary "is engaged in the business of franchising of fashion apparel retail stores of the Company". So a franchised Zudio is possible on paper. But the evidence points to a hand-picked, invitation-style route for people who already own large commercial property. It is not an open programme with a published price.
The form's turnover question tells you who Trent wants to hear from.
Why the ₹75 lakh Zudio franchise figure doesn't add up
Many websites say a Zudio franchise needs 3,000 to 6,000 sq ft and ₹75 lakh to ₹1 crore. None of them cites a Trent document, and the company's own numbers contradict both figures. A store half the size Trent builds would not be the format Trent opens. And Trent's ₹3–4 crore includes deposits and inventory, which a franchisee would also have to fund in some form. If someone offers you a Zudio store for ₹75 lakh, ask which Trent document that price comes from.
What a Zudio-sized store can sell in a year
Trent does not publish sales per store for Zudio alone. It does publish annualised sales per sq ft (SPSF) for its whole fashion portfolio in FY26, which mixes Westside and Zudio:
- Metro and Tier I cities: ₹15,318 per sq ft
- Tier II cities: ₹13,390 per sq ft
- Rest of India: ₹12,504 per sq ft
As a rough illustration only, a 10,000 sq ft store at the rest-of-India rate would sell about ₹12.5 crore a year. That is our multiplication, not a Trent number. Westside's prices are higher than Zudio's, so Zudio's own figure may sit below the portfolio average. Trent's FY26 revenue was ₹19,701 crore, up 18%, and Zudio's 208 new stores drove most of the expansion.
Fake Zudio franchise offers: the court case on record
Demand for a Zudio outlet has attracted fraud, and Trent has gone to court over it. On 2 November 2023, Justice Riyaz Chagla of the Bombay High Court granted Trent a John Doe order against zudiofranchise.net and unknown others. According to court reports, they had used Trent's name, address and the Zudio trademark to sell fake franchises and had collected lakhs of rupees from victims. The court told the domain registrar to suspend the site and reveal who ran it, and extended the order in January 2024.
Zudio's own form promises no allotment and asks for no money. Any site, caller or "agent" asking for a registration fee, a booking amount or a franchise fee to guarantee a Zudio store is not following the process Zudio describes.
Check the domain before you type anything. Zudio's own site is zudio.com and Trent's is trentlimited.com. Look-alike sites with "zudio" or "trent" in other domain names have appeared in search results.
Clothing brands to weigh instead of Zudio
If you want a clothing store and have ₹3–4 crore, Zudio is a long shot. Some fashion brands do sign franchisees openly. Allen Solly belongs to Aditya Birla Lifestyle Brands, which says about 65% of its stores are franchise-led and that a franchise store "starts from ₹50 L approx" for about 1,000 sq ft (a figure that covers all its brands, not Allen Solly alone). The closest listed match to Zudio, V-Mart Retail, runs all 613 of its value-fashion stores itself (September 2026), so it is not an option either. For more choices, see our guide to clothing brands in India that take franchisees.
Zudio franchise cost: quick answers
How much does a Zudio franchise cost in India?
Trent publishes no franchise price. Its FY26 annual report says a new Zudio store needs about ₹3–4 crore in capital, including capex, deposits and inventory, for 10,000–12,000 sq ft.
Is Zudio a franchise or company-owned?
Mostly company-run. About 8% of Trent's 1,280 fashion stores in India are run by franchise, across all its brands, and Zudio's website has a franchise enquiry form that guarantees nothing.
How much space does a Zudio store need?
Trent says its stores are typically 10,000–12,000 sq ft. The 3,000–6,000 sq ft figure found online does not come from Trent.