Trent dream run hits a pause amid growth concerns, Westside woes

ONCE A TOP retail performer on D-Street, Tata-group owned Trent has been gradually losing steam over the last few months as a combination of mixed earnings and future growth concerns have weighed on the company. Westside, in particular, has been a drag, as Zudio overshadows its performance, retail experts said.

- VIVEAT SUSAN PINTO

The big meltdown for Trent came a few weeks ago when the stock crashed nearly 12% in a single day (on July 4), following an underwhelming quarterly update for Q1FY26. The retailer said it saw standalone revenue growing 20% during the quarter, below the 35% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) it had reported for the last five years. Year-to-date, the stock has fallen 25% on the BSE even as the Sensex has risen 5.75%.

The 20% topline growth number was also below Trent's own long-term target of growing 25% annually, as stated by its chairman Noel Tata at the Annual General Meeting on July 3. The company will report its Q1 results on August 6.

While Trent remains bullish about its fashion and lifestyle segment, saying it will add over 250 stores across formats in FY26, analysts say the additions will be more in Zudio than Westside. The brand (Zudio), launched in 2016, crossed $1 billion (₹8,600 crore) in revenue in FY25, according to Trent's annual filings, doubling its store count in two years.