Wow! Momo, which centers its business on momos (steamed dumplings) that have become a national food in India, Wow! Momo Foods opened 80 stores new stores in the first four months of FY26 (fiscal year 2026), expanding its store network to over 780 stores in more than 75 cities. During this period, it also entered 15 new cities, and has entered an aggressive expansion phase aiming for 1,000 stores and sales of INR 10 billion (₹1,000 crore) within the next 18 months.
Wow! Momo is known for its high-speed store openings, but FY26 started off at full acceleration. Using multiple formats in parallel, high streets, malls, food courts, cloud kitchens, and partnerships with modern retail, the company is adding stores simultaneously across trading areas with different location conditions. For the full year, it is targeting what would be its highest-ever net increase, at a scale of around 200 stores.
As the entry into 15 new cities shows, the company's where the business is won is shifting from major cities to regional core cities (Tier 2-3). Using momo, a low-barrier national food, as its weapon, the strategy is to plant footholds ahead of the curve in cities where chain restaurants still have thin coverage. The target of 1,000 stores in 18 months means the company has made expanding its geographic footprint itself the growth engine.
Wow! Momo's strength lies in rolling out a low-priced national food that is fully established locally across multiple formats all at once. If Japanese restaurant chains are targeting India, rather than starting with a flagship store in a major city, this model of using multiple formats to capture underserved categories in Tier 2-3 cities offers a useful reference for opening speed and trading-area selection.
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Company | Wow! Momo Foods |
| New store openings in the first 4 months of FY26 | 80 stores |
| Store network | Over 780 stores / more than 75 cities |
| Newly entered cities | 15 cities |
| Target for the next 18 months | 1,000 stores, sales of INR 10 billion (₹1,000 crore, about JPY 17.4 billion) |
| Focus area | Tier 2-3 cities |
Related reading:
-Papa John’s returns to India with ghee-roast pizza — from four stores in Bengaluru to a 650-store plan
-India's major retailers opened 2,182 new stores in a year, with Reliance and DMart heading to Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities
-German Doner Kebab opens its first India store in Bengaluru, a franchise that reached 450 outlets in 15 years
Source: Indian Retailer／India Retailing
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