Titan eyes premium push, Trent targets 10x growth: What's driving Tata's consumer story?

With the March-quarter earnings season now behind us, market participants are closely examining management commentary and future roadmaps to identify potential outperformers. Among the companies drawing attention are Tata Group's consumer-focused businesses, Titan Company and Trent Ltd, both of which have outlined ambitious growth plans for the years ahead.

Trent Ltd

Tata Group Chairman Noel N Tata recently said that retail firm Trent remains in the early phase of its growth journey despite rapid expansion in recent years. The chairman exuded confidence that the company would achieve its ambitious target of becoming ten times bigger in revenue terms in the "not-so-distant future".

Trent owns lifestyle and fashion department store chain Westside, value-fashion chain Zudio and hypermarket Star Bazaar.

Tata, in Trent's latest annual report, also said its future growth will continue to be anchored in building distinct, well-defined propositions across categories while also aiming to take homegrown brands to international markets.

Referring to his remarks at Trent's 2023 shareholders' meeting, Tata said he had envisioned the company becoming ten times larger in terms of revenues with commensurate profitability.

"Since then, the revenue and profitability run rate have grown by over 2.5 times. Given all this, I am confident that we will reach the milestone I had referenced in the not-so-distant future," said Noel Tata, who is also chairman of Tata Trusts.

In FY26, Trent's revenue from operations was ₹19,701 crore, and it operated 1,286 stores with a total retail area of 17.7 million square feet across 321 cities.

Tata underscored Trent's global ambitions, saying it would be "enormously satisfying" to build brands from India that achieve relevance across international markets.

The chairman said the company should aspire to generate material revenues from overseas markets, aligning with the country's broader objective of increasing value-added exports.

"We should aspire boldly, execute with perseverance, and celebrate the pride of brands built ground up from India," Tata said.

The journey of Trent, which began 25 years ago by opening its first store on Westside Commercial Street in Bengaluru, to over 1,200 stores has been one of steady evolution, said Tata.

Titan Company

Titan is betting big on premiumisation happening in the segment and expects watches above ₹25,000 to contribute almost one-fourth of its revenue in around 2-3 years, a company official said on Tuesday.

Titan is also expanding the store count of Helios and Helios Luxe, its retail chain that sells watches priced at ₹25,000 and above, as the premium and accessible luxury segments are growing at a 30% CAGR, Titan Watch Division CEO Kuruvilla Markose told PTI.

"We have close to 10 stores of Helios Luxe, and we are adding more as we go along. In this current financial year, we hope to expand that number closer to 30, and for Helios, we have close to 300 stores, and they are doing extremely well. This format for us is growing rapidly," said Markose.

Moreover, rising demand for premium timepieces and a maturing domestic market could help India emerge as the world's third major watchmaking hub, after Switzerland and the Far Eastern ecosystem of Japan and China, he said.

"We believe that time is coming," said Markose, adding that as the market matures and consumers increasingly seek higher-quality products at higher price points, local manufacturing capabilities will continue to evolve.

According to Markose, an "inflexion point" for India's premium watch segment has already arrived, with nearly 50% of the domestic watch market now comprising products priced above ₹25,000, a share that will continue to increase in value terms.

India is also witnessing the "emergence of a strong horology culture" focused on craftsmanship and innovation, the CEO added.

Horology is the scientific study of measuring time and the art or craft of making timekeeping instruments like clocks, watches, and sundials. Horology culture refers to the deep passion, craftsmanship, and community surrounding the art and science of measuring time.

The CEO expects a rise in sales of Swiss watches in India following the recent India-EU Free Trade Agreement, which has further lowered import duties on such products.

Duties on Swiss watches have already come down from about 22% to 15% under the India-EFTA pact, which came into force on October 1, 2025. The India-EU FTA is expected to bring further reductions.

"The duties have dropped from around 22% to 16%, and it will drop further eventually, all the way to zero by 2031," the CEO said, adding it makes products coming in from Europe and Switzerland more attractive.

Titan has brought a bunch of Swiss brands like Herbelin, Auguste Raymond, and U-Boat, "will continue to bring more as it goes along," said Markose.