“We are bringing our very best, hand-selected pieces"
Indian luxury silk firm, Nalli Silks has opened its first-ever store in the United Kingdom after receiving support from the UK’s Department for International Trade (DTI).
The store which has opened in London has been set up to meet the demand for the upcoming wedding and festive season.
Approximately £300,000 was invested in the 2,500 square feet store in Wembley.
The new store is also expected to have up to eight members of staff.
Nalli Silks will branch out with more stores across London and in Birmingham to serve customers with their exceptional sarees (or saris).
The textile brand, which was established in Chennai in 1928, has a deep and rich history.
In fact, in 1911, when King George V visited India, the state Tamil Nadu gifted the King a Kanchipuram silk saree as a souvenir from the company.
This was the year of King George V’s coronation. To commemorate this occasion, Nalli Silks wove a special coronation-themed border on the stunning saree.
Likewise, in 1954, Tamil Nadu gifted a Nalli Silks saree to Queen Elizabeth II for her coronation.
Nalli Silks was searching for opportunities to enter the UK market before the outbreak of Covid-19.
The firm already has an established presence in Canada, the US and Singapore.
For the past 18 months, DTI officials in Chennai and London have been working with Nalli Silks to help facilitate their transition into the UK market.
They have been helping with site visits, updates on Covid-19 measures, introductions to accounting and tax services and more.
Welcoming Nalli Silks to the UK, Minister for Investment Gerry Grimstone said:
“I am delighted to welcome Nalli Silks to the vibrant cadre of many Indian companies present in the UK, which support jobs in this country across all sectors.
“As both the Indian and UK economies recover from the impact of Covid-19, increasing investment in each other’s markets is more important than ever.
“Brands like Nalli Silks are sterling examples of the opportunities available to Indian businesses if they wish to sell high-quality goods to a strong base of customers in the UK, including an Indian diaspora of 1.5 million people.
“I look forward to seeing their continued success and supporting other businesses looking to the UK as their next market.”
Vice Chairman Ramnath Nalli added:
“Our South Asian customers living in the UK are some of our most vocal and passionate patrons.”
“When our friendly skies were still friendly, almost every week we would greet a few UK customers at our flagship stores in India, requesting for a Nalli store nearby.
“Soon we started receiving social media requests from non-Indian brides asking advice on saris for their bridesmaids (or themselves) as more and more people go in for themed Indian weddings held in their own locales, or as a destination wedding.
“We’re very happy on this joyous occasion to finally be coming to the UK – London first and then Birmingham soon after!
“We are bringing our very best, hand-selected pieces just for this market and are excited to see the reception.”
This £300,000 investment follows several successful DTI-supported Indian retail investments into the UK.
These include Mumbai-based Purple Style Labs and Delhi-based retailer Frontier Raas.
From the year 2019, trade between India and the UK has increased by 10% to £24 billion.
Also, the UK and India have agreed to deliver an Enhanced Trade Partnership at this year’s Joint Economic Trade Committee.
This initiative will surely strengthen their trade relationship.
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