Honestly, if you've looked at the ab fashion share price recently, you might've had a bit of a heart attack. One day it’s trading in the high 200s, and the next, it’s hovering around ₹71.
That’s a massive drop. Or is it?
Most people see a 60% or 70% dip and assume the company is tanking. They think the stores are empty or the brands are dying. But with Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail (ABFRL), the reality is way more technical—and kinda interesting if you’re into the nuts and bolts of the stock market.
The "Crash" That Wasn't Actually a Crash
Let’s get the big elephant out of the room first. In May 2025, ABFRL went through a massive "demerger." Basically, they sliced the company in two.
Before this, everything was under one roof. You had the high-margin "Madura" brands like Louis Philippe, Van Heusen, and Allen Solly mixed in with the newer, heavy-investment stuff like ethnic wear and digital-first brands. The market found it hard to value because one part was making money while the other part was spending it to grow.
So, they split them.
- Aditya Birla Lifestyle Brands (ABLBL): This took the "steady" winners—the formal wear and the legacy brands.
- ABFRL (The remaining one): This kept Pantaloons, the ethnic partnerships (like Sabyasachi), and the Gen Z brands.
On the day of the split, the ab fashion share price adjusted. It wasn't a sell-off; it was just the market saying, "Okay, the value of the lifestyle brands is no longer in this specific ticker."
If you held 100 shares of ABFRL, you didn't lose money. You just woke up with 100 shares of the "new" ABFRL and 100 shares of the brand-new ABLBL.
Where the Price Stands Today (Early 2026)
Right now, as we move through January 2026, the stock is trading around the ₹71 to ₹73 range.
It’s been a bit of a bumpy ride lately. Just in the last week of January, we’ve seen it slide from ₹76 down to about ₹71. Why? Well, the September 2025 quarter (Q2 FY26) wasn't exactly a party. The company reported a net loss of about ₹295 crore.
Compare that to the ₹175 crore loss in the same period a year ago. It’s wider.
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But here’s the thing—revenue actually grew. They hit nearly ₹1,982 crore in revenue, up 13% year-on-year. They’re selling more clothes than ever, but they’re also spending a ton of cash to expand.
The Pantaloons Factor
Pantaloons is still the backbone here. It grew about 6% recently. They’re trying to give it a "retail identity" makeover because, let’s be real, some of those older stores were starting to look a bit tired compared to Zudio or Max.
Why Analysts Aren't Panic-Selling
You might think a company losing nearly ₹300 crore in a quarter is a "stay away" signal. But the consensus among the big brokerages is surprisingly chill. About 47% of analysts are still saying "Hold."
The average target price for the ab fashion share price is sitting around ₹82 to ₹91. Some aggressive forecasts even suggest it could hit ₹130 if the company manages its debt properly.
The Debt Situation
ABFRL is currently lugging around a decent chunk of debt—about ₹2,000 crore stayed with them after the demerger. The management, led by Ashish Dikshit, has been pretty vocal about a plan to be debt-free within 2 to 3 years.
They also have a five-year plan to double their revenue. It’s ambitious. Sorta "go big or go home" energy.
The Ethnic and Gen Z Gamble
What’s really moving the needle (or at least the hype) isn't the formal shirts anymore. It’s the high-end stuff.
The designer-led portfolio—we're talking Sabyasachi, Tarun Tahiliani, and Shantanu & Nikhil—is growing at a clip of over 30%. Sabyasachi specifically is a powerhouse. When rich people get married in India, they buy Sabya. ABFRL owns a big piece of that pie now.
Then there’s the "TMRW" portfolio. This is their "House of Brands" for digital-first, Gen Z shoppers. It grew 27% recently. They even launched a new brand called OWND! in Bengaluru to capture that younger crowd.
What You Should Keep an Eye On
If you're watching the ab fashion share price, don't just stare at the daily ticker. It'll drive you crazy. Instead, watch these three things:
- The Wedding Season: Q3 (October–December) results are usually the make-or-break period for them because of the wedding and festive rush. If the loss doesn't narrow here, the market will get grumpy.
- The Equity Raise: The company plans to raise about ₹2,500 crore in equity. This is huge. It will help pay down debt, but it also dilutes existing shares.
- LFL Growth: "Like-for-Like" growth. This tells you if their existing stores are making more money, or if they're only growing because they keep opening new ones. Currently, Pantaloons is at 7% LFL, which is healthy but not "wow."
Real-World Perspective
Look, the fashion retail market in India is brutal right now. You’ve got Reliance Retail on one side and aggressive value players like Tata’s Zudio on the other.
ABFRL is trying to play in the middle (Pantaloons) and the very top (Designer/Luxury). It's a "barbell strategy." It takes a lot of capital to maintain.
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Is the current ab fashion share price a bargain?
If you believe they can actually hit that "debt-free" target by 2027 or 2028, then yes, ₹71 looks cheap. If you think the losses will keep widening because of high interest costs, then it's a risky bet.
Actionable Steps for Investors
- Check your portfolio for ABLBL: If you were a long-term holder, make sure you actually received your demerged shares of Aditya Birla Lifestyle Brands. Those are the "profit-making" shares.
- Set a "Support Watch": The stock has strong technical support around ₹70. If it breaks below that consistently, the "falling knife" theory might apply.
- Focus on the interest coverage ratio: This is a boring accounting number, but for ABFRL, it's everything. It tells you if they can afford the interest on their loans. Right now, it's thin.
- Watch the Galeries Lafayette launch: They’ve partnered to bring the French luxury giant to Mumbai. If that takes off, it changes the "premium" narrative for the stock.
The ab fashion share price isn't for the faint of heart right now. It's a turnaround story in progress. You’re betting on the management's ability to clean up the balance sheet while keeping the "cool factor" of their brands alive.
Next Steps for Research:
Check the official NSE filings for the Q3 FY26 earnings release (expected in February 2026) to see if the wedding season provided the much-needed boost to their margins. Compare the "Other Income" figures to ensure the profit/loss isn't being skewed by one-time asset sales.