Louis Vuitton has closed its seven-year-old store in New Delhi’s Oberoi Hotel due to space constraints and plans to shift completely to Emporio by next year. Keen to expand, the company is also looking to add space beyond what it now has at Emporio store.

“We are in an expansion mode and having a small store at Oberoi limited our growth. The other reason is that we get better footfalls at Emporio than at Oberoi. A luxury mall any day receives better footfalls than a hotel,” said Tikka Shatrujit Singh, advisor to Louis Vuitton chairman Yves Carcelle.

Spokesperson for DLF, which owns Emporio, declined comment on the additional space subject.

Singh said Oberoi was a good start for Louis Vuitton as there was “nothing better available when the brand entered India. But then you have to move on.”

The Louis Vuitton store at Oberoi has an area of 1,200 sq ft while its store at Emporio, which opened in 2008, covers an area of 4,000 sq ft. “We have identified the location and space. When the time is right, we would disclose the details,” Singh added.

Louis Vuitton at present has four exclusive stores in India including one each in Delhi and Bangalore, and two in Mumbai. Looking at double-digit growth this year, the French label may open a store each in Hyderabad, Kolkata and Chennai.

“The problem is infrastructure. We have major plans for the country but these can only be executed when we find an environment conducive to luxury. Various developers have approached us. At this stage of our growth, we don’t mind opening a Louis Vuitton store in a hotel, luxury mall or as a standalone luxury opportunity,” said Singh.