Trent Ltd has entered in to a partnership with the Italian fashion group, Benetton, for the Sisley brand''s commercial expansion in India. Alessandro Benetton, deputy chairman, Benetton Group, and Noel Tata, managing director, Trent Ltd, signed the agreement on 18 September, 2007.

Under this agreement, Trent will open and manage a number of Sisley stores in India''s major cities. The first shops will open over the next few months, starting with the top shopping streets in Hyderabad and Bangalore.

"The partnership with the Benetton Group gives us the opportunity to tap the burgeoning premium segment of consumers," says Tata. "We believe that Sisley has a high potential for growth and we will leverage our experience to optimise the tremendous opportunity."

The new partnership will enable Benetton Group to boost its presence in India, which it regards a key market in the entire continent. The Italian fashion house has been operating in India for over 15 years and has 141 retail outlets under the name United Colors of Benetton.

"Our existing operations, across three diverse retail formats, have given us key insights into the business and the Indian consumer," adds Tata. Trent has over a decade of experience in the Indian retail industry with an existing portfolio of 39 stores across three formats targeting the value and mid-market segment. It operates the Westside departmental stores; Landmark, the largest books and music retail chain in India and Star Bazaar, its chain of hypermarkets.

The agreement comes only a few months after the launch of Sisley''s first three pilot stores in Delhi, which were an immediate and significant success with Indian customers, and these three shops will be directly managed by Trent.

Sisley has more than 850 stores around the world. Its collections, distinguished by their strong fashion content, reflect the latest trends of the season. Slsley offers a wide choice of clothes for men and women, and this winter launches a new range that is even richer and more sophisticated: Sisley Limited Edition.