Payless ShoeSource announced an exclusive Pan India franchise arrangement with Reliance Retail, India's largest retailer. According to the arrangement Reliance Retail Limited, a division of India's largest private sector company, Reliance Industries Limited, will partner with Payless ShoeSource as its exclusive franchisee in India to establish the Payless ShoeSource retail chain in India.

The arrangement is aimed at leveraging Payless' capabilities of creating a unique and delightful store experience through a trend-right product mix that appeals to the budget-conscious shopper, and Reliance's established competencies in the Indian retail sector of building strong retail networks and running the store operations nationwide efficiently. Reliance Retail will replicate the experiential elements of Payless stores around the world and will offer an entire footwear and fashion offering to the family.

Today, Payless has 258 franchised stores located in the Middle East, Asia and Eastern Europe in such countries as Russia, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, South Korea, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates and Malaysia, among others.

“I am excited about this partnership with Reliance Retail, who shares our vision for the Payless brand and is the preeminent retail company in India.  A cornerstone of the Payless strategy is to expand into new markets and become the brand that resonates with consumers around the globe, and be the first choice for budget-conscious consumers who shop for shoes and accessories. Partnering with Reliance will further our vision of being the 'go-to' shoe store that shoppers anywhere in the world can count on to be there for them and for their families, helping them look good every step of the way,” says Paul Jones, CEO of Payless Holdings.

With this new partnership Reliance Retail further improves its proposition in the footwear segment by offering a wide range of fashionable, comfortable, high-quality and affordable footwear to Indian consumers.

“Payless is an exciting addition to Reliance's retail portfolio offering fashionable footwear at affordable prices for the Indian consumers. It is a complete family store, very vibrant and has great offerings for all. We believe this association has the potential to storm the ladies and kids footwear market in India which has largely been unorganized and fragmented to date. The association underlines our core philosophy of democratizing fashion. We are very excited about this venture and look forward to launching these stores in India next year,” says G. Sankar, CEO Footwear business, Reliance Retail.

Payless stores in India will be positioned as the first choice for budget-conscious consumers in the shoes and accessories segment. The offerings will comprise a comprehensive range of shoes and accessories including wedges, flats and canvas sneakers, handbags, boots, and a range of fashionable sandals; all at great value prices. A unique feature of Payless stores is its hard-to-find sizing for women and the unique right-sizing service for children.

Payless' collection includes shoes for every need – dress, casual and athletic styles for women, men and kids, as well as special footwear like dance shoes, sport cleats, water socks and slip resistant footwear, among others. Payless stores also carry an array of accessories such as socks, handbags, scarves, jewellery and hair items, all intended to help everybody complete their looks.

Payless stores feature well-known portfolio of brands including Airwalk, Dexter, Brash, designer label Christian Siriano for Payless and children's brand Smartfit.

 Payless has more than 4,400 stores in more than 30 countries and was founded in 1956 in Topeka, KA. where its global headquarters remains today.  Payless is a portfolio company of Golden Gate Capital and Blum Capital.

Reliance Retail Limited (RRL), a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited opened its first retail store in November 2006 and today operates more than 1,550 stores spread across 136 cities with nearly 10 million square feet of retail space