India retail leasing rises 20% to 3.9 million sq ft in H1 2026

Retail leasing grew 20% year-on-year in H1 2026, with fashion and apparel accounting for about 40% of take-up. Domestic retailers drove more than 70% of activity, while D2C brands contributed roughly 28%, according to CBRE.

— Filed Thu, 30 Jul, 2026, 14:57 IST · Source ET Small Business · Updated

India retail leasing climbed 20% year-on-year to 3.9 million sq ft in H1 2026, led by fashion and apparel. Domestic retailers drove over 70% of activity, while D2C brands contributed 28%, with demand expected to expand into suburban and emerging markets.

Why this matters

CBRE’s India-wide H1 2026 leasing growth follows signals of record 3.1M sq ft Delhi-NCR retail leasing in 2024, with vacancy falling and rents rising.

Retail-company signals are accelerating, up 312600% QoQ.