Nalli Silks opens first store in UK

A LEADING sari shop from south India has opened its first UK store in Wembley, north London.

Chennai-based Nalli Silks, which previously gifted sarees to King George V and the Queen, is likely to open more stores in London and Birmingham, with help from the UK’s Department for International Trade, a statement said. The 2,500 sq ft store in Wembley, with up to eight members of staff, is expected to meet the demand in the UK ahead of the wedding and festive season later this year.

“Our south Asian customers living in the UK are some of our most vocal and passionate patrons. 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 nonIndian 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,” said Ramnath Nalli, vice chairman, Nalli Silks.

Officials from the UK’s Department for International Trade (DIT) in London and India have been working with Nalli over the past 18 months to get the project off the ground. “Brands like Nalli Silk 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,” said minister for investment Gerry Grimstone.