The modern East India Company luxury brand collapses again, a second time since 1857

The modern East India Company was a luxury lifestyle brand revived by Indian businessman Sanjiv Mehta. He acquired the brand rights in the early 2000s from shareholders who had tried to restart it as a wholesale operation, then launched it in 2010 as a high-end retailer selling premium teas, chocolates and fine foods from a flagship store in London's Mayfair and on Bond Street.

The revival did not stick. In October 2025 the retail business entered creditors' voluntary liquidation with debts exceeding £950,000, alongside tax liabilities and legal action. The Bond Street flagship store shut and the digital presence was deactivated, bringing down the luxury retail operation in the heart of Mayfair.

Mehta insisted the historic brand and holding company remained intact, pointing to a restructuring effort, but the retail arm had ceased operating. The collapse marked the second time the East India Company name had failed — the original trading company, at the heart of Britain's colonial empire, was dissolved in 1874 after the 1857 rebellion. A brand built on imperial heritage struggled to convert its famous name into a durable modern business.