Archies has relaunched its Archies Express compact store format, with the announcement made at the Bharat Summit 2026 in New Delhi.
Designed for emerging markets and high-footfall locations, the format supports the retailer's broader expansion of its physical store network.
Known in India for greeting cards and gift products, Archies said Archies Express will carry a narrower range focused on bestselling gifting items, stationery, lifestyle accessories and cards. The smaller format is intended to widen access to its products in locations where a full-sized store may not be suitable.
The relaunch comes as Archies works to refresh a brand long associated with traditional greeting cards for a younger consumer base. Its network currently spans more than 1,000 sales points across company-owned outlets, franchise stores, distributors and retailers, alongside its online operations.
Alongside the relaunch, Chairman & Managing Director Anil Moolchandani received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the summit, recognising his role in building the business over several decades after Archies was founded in 1979.
Archies plans to open 20 new stores in the current financial year as part of its retail growth strategy. The target points to the scale of the expansion and suggests the smaller format is intended to help the company enter more locations with lower space requirements.
Retail shift
The retailer has been positioning itself as more than a legacy card seller, focusing its business on gifting, stationery and lifestyle products. That shift reflects broader changes in Indian retail, where long-established high street brands are adapting store formats and product ranges to suit changing shopping habits and younger consumers.
For Archies, the challenge is to preserve the emotional appeal that made the brand a household name while making stores relevant to shoppers who increasingly discover products through digital channels and expect a different in-store experience. Its newer direction includes youth-focused collections and discovery-led shopping formats aimed at Gen Z customers.
Moolchandani linked the award to the brand's relationship with its customer base.
"This recognition is not mine alone, it belongs to every Archies customer who found meaning in the emotions we helped express over the years. Archies was built on the belief that feelings deserve beautiful expression. Decades later, that belief continues to evolve with every generation. We are proud to remain a brand that connects nostalgia with modern self-expression," said Anil Moolchandani, Chairman & Managing Director, Archies.
Expansion plans
Hanisha Gandhi, Executive Director, Archies, also appeared on a summit panel focused on store networks, malls and distribution. Her comments offered further insight into how the company is approaching physical reach as it expands into different retail formats.
"Retail today is no longer only about presence, it is about experience, accessibility, and cultural relevance. At Archies, our strategy is focused on creating meaningful consumer touchpoints across formats and geographies while retaining the emotional warmth the brand is known for. The future of Indian retail belongs to brands that can balance scale with authenticity," said Hanisha Gandhi, Executive Director, Archies.
Archies built its name through greeting cards before expanding into gift hampers, perfumes, stuffed toys, jewellery and accessories, photo albums and baby books. Its long history gives it brand recognition across generations, but also leaves the business exposed to a consumer shift away from some traditional categories.
The smaller-format relaunch suggests the company sees room for growth in convenience-led physical retail even as eCommerce continues to shape buying behaviour. By focusing on compact sites and a tighter product mix, Archies is trying to maintain visibility in busy locations while limiting the footprint needed for expansion.
Archies said the Archies Express model forms part of a wider retail transformation aimed at strengthening its offline presence among younger and value-conscious consumers.