Jewellery retailer Malabar Gold & Diamonds has announced that it will open 22 new showrooms in India and abroad in January with an estimated ?800 crore investment.

The expansion will create approximately 5,000 job opportunities in the retail, manufacturing, technical and management areas related to jewellery trade, MP Ahammed, group chairman, Malabar Group said.

The massive expansion drive in January will begin with the launch of the Artistry concept store in Bengaluru, followed by stores in several states, including Maharashtra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, as well as Delhi. The jewellery chain will also open stores in overseas markets, such as Malaysia, Qatar, Abu Dhabi , Sharjah, Dubai and Oman.

“Our retail expansion is a part of our strategy to further strengthen our retail footprint in territories where we have strong presence as well as foray into new markets with our differentiated services and product offerings. Having sensed the momentum in the recent festive sales, we are all geared up to set new standards of customer comfort and convenience in the new markets," O Asher, managing director for India operations at the retail chain said.

Malabar Gold and Diamonds also retails jewellery under several sub-brands such as Mine, Ethnix handcrafted jewellery, Precia gemstone jewellery, Divine, Era, Viras Royal polki, apart from the Starlet collection for children.