Ampa Skywalk – Newest in Chennai

I couldn’t resist visiting the newest Mall in Chennai – Ampa Skywalk last week. The first of its kind in North Chennai, this Mall has been in the making for over five years now. In my previous stint at Benetton, we managed to get two outlets for the Brand – one in the Ground floor and the other in the Second (exclusively for kids). While it took more than three years to finish the construction, it took as much time probably to get all the necessary approvals. And the final product is worth the wait as many would believe. Located along the ubiquitous Cooum River, this five storey structure has a colour combination on the exterior that’s almost impossible to miss. Lots of colourful alucobond and glass with very little concrete gives it a different look than its few counterparts in the city. Located on a corner plot, the Mall is expected to cater largely to the surrounding residential areas –parts of Anna Nagar, Nungambakkam, Aynavaram and Kilpauk. Maybe for the first few months, this would be a Destination because of its novelty, but once the upcoming “Express Avenue” is ready, all the focus in town is about to turn towards it. (Will write more about EA later).

Entry into the mall is from Nelson Manickam Road while the exit leads into Poonamallee High Road. Parking is managed by Central Parking Services, (the same one who operates at Bengaluru International Airport) its first big project in Chennai and also a leader in providing parking solutions in south India, aiming to grow all across the country in the coming years. The height of the car parking areas is quite comfortable (even for SUVs or for novice drivers of small cars) and the ramp that leads to different levels is quite spacious – the turning radius is very minimal and thereby provides comfort while driving. Every floor of parking has an entrance into the Mall – something that could have be combined with two floors (like in Forum Bangalore) thereby saving ton loads of concrete and construction material. Open wires and drainage pipes are visible all over but this could be very nicely covered with advertising/mall communication panels. Only 40% of space is occupied yet and the rest in under fit-out stage

First impression as one gets into the Mall – impressive, by Chennai standards. I quite liked the spacious Atrium from where one could see the famous “Skywalk” – a bridge that connects two sides of the top floor which would house PVR Cinemas as an anchor. This would be the first location for PVR Cinemas (preceded by INOX in 2006 at Chennai Citi Centre). There are over 100 Cinema screens in Chennai city limits and the ticket prices are almost 50% of those that are charged at these multiplexes. So, I would be curious to see their pricing and marketing strategy as time goes.

The Mall has more than one anchor – PVR for Entertainment, Westside for apparel, Landmark for Leisure, Star Bazaar as a Hyper for home-needs, Mc Donalds, KFC, Pizza Hut, TGI Friday, a 200 seater food court, a couple of speciality restaurants and a very large entertainment centre for children and the young at heart. Although the F&B Outlets may not be technically classified as “anchors”, they do more or less the same job as the anchors – to act as a destination and to pull consumers into the Mall. Cafe Coffee Day, La Boulangerie (a chennai based gourmet and speciality bakery chain), Booster Juice, Cookieman and Kalmane coffee bring in a fresh lease of life in every floor as they are massively spread across. I spoke to my friend from JLL who was part of the floor-design and he gave a strange logic used by the developers – that every floor, along the car parking exit would have an F&B joint – a cafe, bakery etc. I hope this works.

On product retail, the line-up is impressive: Benetton, Levi’s, Will Lifestyle, Lee, Zodiac, Metro & Mochi, Peter England, Allen Solly etc. The surprise ones are Bossini and Health and glow – it’s quite some time that we remembered these brands, but nice to see them here though. Zimsons, a leading player in premium and luxury watches has several stores for different categories on the Ground Floor. Given that there are very few premium watch stores in the city, this is sure to draw in the right crowds. The positioning of the escalators that go up and come down looks nice – but they do not seem to circulate footfalls. This is a very important aspect in Malls – afterall, driving footfalls to the Mall is quite easier than driving them along the corridors, in front of the stores. Light colored marble flooring make the floor look cleaner and larger.

The most interesting part is that the Food court called F3 that stands for “Food, fun and frolic” offers a pre-paid card. On payment of INR 10, a smart-card is given that can be loaded with currency in denominations of INR 10 and this single card could be used across all the outlets. Sounds interesting, as it makes life easier for diners – they don’t have to wait in long queues at cash tills while the cashier is struggling for returning change. It is also a great way to increase consumption – shoppers would load for a minimum and may not consume for all the amounts, so they would come back regularly to this place. The only glitch seems to be the cash-flow for the operators – I doubt if the settlements would be done even once in a week. That means, they have to wait for the bi-monthly/monthly cycle to get their turnover that is collected by the Mall Developer. But this is a good way to keep a tab on the Sales – since most of the Malls are now following the Revenue share model and thereby, this becomes easier to track every transaction that occurs at the various outlets.

Overall, this is a welcome inclusion in the city and am sure this would continue to serve very well as a friendly neighbourhood mall for a long time to come, I guess.

Madras Memoirs...

This column comes straight from the heart of Madras – T. Nagar, to be precise, where I have been camping over the past week ever since our daughter was born last Thursday. The past weekend was not just hectic but also exciting and fulfilling for our business. Retailers of all sizes, shapes and geographic spread have reported an upswing in Sales during the just concluded Diwali festival. Mambalam aka T. Nagar in Madras houses the highest penetration of Retail outlets per sq. Km in South India. The estimated size of the Organized Retail business – Apparel, Jewellery and Household items, is expected to be over INR 10 Crores every day! This, from the top 20 large format Retailers such as GRT Jewellery, Prince Jewellery, Joy Alukkas, Singapore Mustafa, Pothys, Kumaran Silks and most importantly Saravana Stores –famously known as India’s very own Wal-Mart. This Retailer who has more than two locations spread over 300,000 sqft., spends a couple of Crores every year on Advertising – on TVCs, Radio, Hoardings at prominent locations near Railway Stations, Airport, etc. – with leading South Indian film stars as Brand Endorsers (and not just ambassadors). It may be recalled that Mr. Kishore Biyani (Founder and CEO of The Future Group) found inspiration for his most successful Hyper-business after spending a couple of hours himself looking at this store.

For the just-born, I was searching a nice cradle over the past days; I visited four to five outlets that carry children’s stuff but wasn’t satisfied with their collection. Home Centre, part of the Landmark Group doesn’t even keep cradles or kids furniture - that was disbelief. After a number of phone calls to friends and cousins, I landed up at “Saravana Stores” on North Usman Road (the newest location for the Retailer). Fully air-conditioned with two large elevators that could carry atleast 12 people at a time, it was amazing to see the way this Retailer conducts business. Parking was easy, as my visit was at 09.30 hrs, and a day after the Diwali festival. As we entered the store, there were half a dozen people near the automatic glass entrance to greet and guide us – something that’s rare to see at many large organized retail outlets. We enquired about our requirements and were directed to the third floor. Interestingly, the elevator stops every second floor – wow, what a strategy I thought. Great way to bring footfalls into the next floor as well as some savings of electricity! But most importantly, it proves efficiency – sometimes people use the elevator to go one level up or down and end up holding the equipment for long durations.

As we entered the shop floor – clear and white marble that show vividly even the smallest dust (or the one that shouldn’t be) - a sprawling 10,000 sft I guessed, I was simply awed by their collection. Over 20,000 or more products on a single floor! Every section neatly ear-marked with clear signage in black font/white background and atleast 60 staff members in just one floor – that’s a whopping “1 staff for every 150 sft” (usually it is 1 every 300 sft in India) – rather one for every customer who visits the section. The philosophy is simple – no provocative selling, but 100% service support. Ask for any assistance and bingo – its right there. And the cradles, as expected were at the end of the floor. After browsing through a dozen of them, we decided on one – a simple yet elegant design. In what I had researched over the past days, cradles could cost between INR 1,500 – INR 9,500. It could also get more expensive as the materials involved change/improve. Our case was simple. Buy something that looks classy, durable and most importantly worth its price since the usage is only for 12-18 months. Not to my surprise, the one that we chose was 30% cheaper than similar ones that I saw at many leading stores. I couldn’t take my eyes off the “Kids clothing” collection - hundreds of pieces stuffed alongside each other, yet the variety, and the design at such low prices was unbelievable.

So, how does this Retailer manage to procure the products at such cheap prices? The age-old philosophy of “volumes”. And the staff comes at a measly cost – they are mostly picked up from villages or smaller towns, brought to the city, put up in shared accommodations such as dormitories or hostels and also given food. Plus a monthly salary which is sometimes given on hand or credited into the accounts of their parents/dependents in their home town! Gradually, the staff picks the nuances of the trade and move on to other Retailers – for a better pay and future. Although attrition is not very high, the quality of the staff is not comparable to modern Retailers –but they serve perfectly to their key clientele (among which you and I are usually not).

During my stay in Madras, I also visited some of the famous F&B Outlets – Ratna Cafe & Saravana Bhavan most importantly among them. While the history of Ratna Cafe dates back almost three decades, Saravana Bhavan is over 10 years old with a good penetration in the city as well as abroad – Dubai, Singapore and the US. Ratna Cafe’s food is world famous – its recipe is every homemaker’s envy, customer’s delight and competition’s grudge. With such a lineage, they have a handful of outlets all across. I wonder, whether it is the financial backing (or the lack of it) or the family’s unwillingness to expand. Saravana Bhavan, which started as a small neighbourhood F&B outlet expanded massively – the basis of expansion was not merely availability of funds or willingness of the family that runs it; rather the acceptance of the concept by its patrons and customers. They changed the way people were dining in the late 90’s – self service fast food coupled with comfortable table-service dining – something that Madrasis were not used to in the pre-Pizza Hut/McDonald’s era and hence lapped up quite happily. And they enjoy some of the best locations in town – from neighbourhood residential areas to arterial roads, near Cinemas and popular shopping destinations. Ample parking for both two- and four-wheelers is an important plus point.

With so much Retail action and a couple of upcoming Malls, it’s tough not to miss this place. Look forward to coming back in my new avtar in 10 days from now!

When skill set takes over everything else!

If there is one activity that many urban men dread every month among others, it’s the thought of visiting his “personal groomer”. From a nonchalant corner shop that could seat not more than three people at a time to the more recent air-conditioned (sometimes unisex) salons, this business has come a long way. The Barbers are today better known as “Hair-stylists” and the profession is gaining acceptance as a popular vocation too and many youngsters are getting their hands “on” in this business. The recycled newspapers have been replaced with Filmfare, Femina, Vogue and even India Today! From waiting outside the shops to fixing prior appointments, from standing under scorching sun to comfy sofas, a lot has changed over the years, right in front of us!

While the beauty-care market in India is worth over Rs 5,000 Crores, growing at 25% pa, according to an L’Oreal study conducted in 2008, the services business accounts for 87% of this market. The estimated size of the men’s grooming market annually is over 1,500 Crores and has been growing at a CAGR of 12% over the past few years. But organised players command less than 5% of the pie. Every city or region in the country has a bunch of players, although many of them have aggressive plans to grow nationally in the years to come. YLG or You Look Good is the most recent entrant in this market, while Limelite promoted by Cavinkare is among the oldest. Other players like Bodycraft and Bounce operate with a limited reach within a particular geographical area.

The three most important things that men look for when they visit a Salon are Convenience to visit the Outlet including parking, Skillsets of the Staff and the Ambience of the place. While the order of priority may change from each person, the most important aspect to note here is the Skillset of the Staff. All things being great but a poor job done wouldn’t bring back the customer again. To ensure that the service delivery is consistent, many chains also have an in-house training academy. Before the staff starts attending customers (Go Live!), they are given an induction for 10-12 weeks. This largely includes training on using the right equipments, the SOPs to be followed (yes, afterall it is a complex activity), and observing some of the senior crew members performing the job.

It has been studied that over 70% of the customers prefer to be handled by the same stylist in their subsequent visits. This is because they believe that the staff already knows their preferences and thereby, the job could only get better over a period of time. According to a dip-stick survey conducted in a leading chain last year, atleast 9% of visitors walked away if their favourite staff was unavailable or busy (and were willing to wait for the same person if they had time).

The biggest drawback today is that there is not a single large chain in India that could boast of offering consistent service across a single city. And the reason is quite understandable – staff attrition. The stylists at the entry level are paid between Rs. 4,000 – Rs. 7,000 per month and earn and share tips worth Rs. 2,000 per person per month. Sooner than later, they tend to lose interest and start looking outside the window – either to hop on to another salon/chain or simply to pursue some other vocation. Unlike in the West, this is not a profession that many feel proud to be in.

Customers are charged between Rs. 50 and Rs. 500 per session that usually includes “Hair-cutting/trimming” followed by a wash. Certain Salons also offer package deals that include facials, massages, etc., and the staff are expected to “convince” their customers to take up one of them. Interestingly, if a staff speaks about a certain service to the customer for more than 4 minutes, the chances of him agreeing to experiment (if he is a first-timer) is over 90% according to survey in a popular salon. And once the customer is happy about this particular service, he would obviously frequent the place. Most chains however, do not sell branded personal grooming merchandise in a big way. Even if they do, the focus is minimal and its’ sales doesn’t contribute more than 10% to the total.

Two years ago, while we were still selecting operators for our Bengaluru International Airport, I had discussions with leading salon operators in Bangalore and in India. But no one was convinced that passengers would ask for such a service. Unsurprisingly, today the same people are willing to undertake this activity! While I feel happy that leading operators are looking up at the Travel Retail potential, it is sad that we don’t have a suitable space today at our Airport nor do I see such parlours coming up at other Airports in India in the short term. In this case, it is clearly convenience that a passenger looks for – trimming beard or a quick head massage or simply, a haircut and a wash and may even be willing to pay a handsome amount for the service! But necessarily, skillset would precede every other aspect – especially at the neighbourhood Outlets. This is one reason why many people keep shifting their salons regularly. After all, it’s an activity done once a month, but one has to sport the same look for the next four weeks!

National Coffee Day

The American National Coffee Association’s “National Coffee Drinking Trends” market research survey recently found that 82 percent of American adults drink coffee, and that those who drink coffee weekly are increasingly on the rise. The survey further reveals that the average coffee consumption in the U.S. is 3.1 cups of coffee per day. And yesterday, 29th September was celebrated as “National Coffee Day” across the US. Although it is not clear who started this and from where did this concept originate, the day is revered all over the country. Most coffee chains offer freebies on this day – the list is long, but let me give some snippets...

• At Starbucks, VIA instant coffee is introduced and the Tall cup is complimentary at select outlet
  
• At McDonalds, free cups of Newman’s Own Coffee at select outlets
  
• At Panera Bread stores, but 1 and get 1 for free
  
• At Dunn Bros, carry the published coupon and get a Coffee for free… And they also encourage you to forward the coupon as much as possible to family and friends and bring as many visitors as possible to the Cafe!

In India, to the best of my knowledge, there is no such thing (yet). It was the same with Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s etc. a decade ago. Also, I am unsure if we will follow something like this in future – I may be wrong. Traditionally, India has been a Tea consuming country, mostly in the North of India while Coffee has been an all time favourite in the South. This is largely because the North was always the tea growing belt (Assam and Darjeeling are world famous and even have a Geographic Indication) and coffee for South (from Chikmaglur & Coorg) – so for obvious reasons such as transportation, logistics and other factors, probably people were used to consuming a certain type of beverage (like how Rice is consumed more in the South and Wheat in the North). According to rough estimates, a family of four in Urban India consumes about 1.40 kg of coffee or tea every month – that’s two cups per person a day on weekdays with a higher frequency over the weekends. Ofcourse, we are talking about the traditional South Indian Filter Coffee or Tea that’s made using packaged tea powder, boiling water and milk. Indian Households usually do not consume Cappuccinos or Lattes or Espressos as these equipments are neither popular nor affordable in India for the time-being.

The Cafe culture started over a decade ago in India, in 1996 to be precise when a small coffee shop opened at the world famous Brigade Road in Bangalore. The outlet also had an internet centre - that’s around the time the Internet was launched in India and it used to cost over INR 60 for an hour of browsing compared to less than One Rupee an hour today (if you are in the best monthly plans). That was the beginning. Today, there are over 2,500 Cafes across the country and growing. The innovation of the Cafe culture was brought into India by Amalgamated Bean Coffee Trading Company Limited, headquartered in Chikmaglur, a nondescript yet beautiful locale on the foothills of the Western Ghats that grows most of the coffee in India, with its Head office in Bangalore. With the trade name “Cafe Coffee Day” and various other formats, the company today operates at over 810 locations and is expected to cross the 1,000 mark by next year as per media reports.

CCD as it is popularly known operates across the major Domestic and International Airports in India including “Bengaluru International Airport”, almost all the popular Malls in the country, various Offices and Establishments, IT Parks, Movie Halls and Multiplexes, Educational Institutions, Hospitals, Highways and High Streets and is also present in Pakistan and Austria. There are half-a-dozen national players in the market including Barista Lavazza, Cafe Mocha, Costa Coffee, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Gloria Jeans, Illy, etc. and several regional/city-wise operators. The distinct feature among these outlets is that they provide the products and ambience of the Coffee Shops that are in Five Star Hotels but at reasonable prices with easy access. While many follow the service concept such as in Restaurants, some also follow the “take-away” model, both of which are equally popular and welcomed by consumers. The estimated market size of the Organized Coffee Outlets is approx. INR 800 Crores (USD 1 = INR 48) and has been growing at over 35% CAGR for the past few years. Starbucks, world’s largest coffee chain entered and exited India last year (due to FDI regulations) and is planning an entry soon. This makes India the fastest growing Coffee Retail market in the world.

While there are over 2,500 outlets across the country, we are talking about a country of a Billion people – so even if you assume 1% of this population (10,000,000) would be the most relevant target segment, assume they would each visit a cafe once a month (10,000,000 visits in a group of say, two people) and each outlet would service 500 customers every day on an average, we would still need over 10,000 Outlets across the country to meet the growing demand. Ofcourse, these are mathematical calculations and the reality maybe a little different, but still, the opportunity is HUGE. The whole world acknowledges that India is the youngest country on earth with over half of the country’s population under 35 years of age and this is the largest consuming class. With growing incomes and salaries, opening up of several industries, and early age of employment (Avg 22 years), coffee consumption at cafes is seeing unpredictable growth across the country. From pilgrim centres like Vaishnav Devi to exotic holiday destinations like Goa, Rajasthan and Kerala, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari (the northern and southern most cities), there are coffee shops coming up all over.

The focus segment however remains the Teens and Tweens. Tweens, as I call them are those in their Twenties – from beginning to work until they are 29, their lifestyle and habits are changing so much and faster by the day. The two segments contribute over 70% of the customer base at the Cafes. The reasons for this segment to visit the cafes are varied – from pursuing their college studies, to hang around with friends, the first “date”, and as they grow up, casual meetings and business meetings, and even serious discussions. After all, “A lot can happen over coffee!” In my case, a lot has happened. What about yours? If you are a teen or a tween or any one of those at heart, rush to the nearest cafe, and by popularity, most probably your choice would a Cafe Coffee Day. In India, we believe everyday is a coffee day. Cheers.

Thank you!

It's exactly six months since I started actively writing on this blog. I would like to thank each one of you who have constantly supported me and encouraged with various ideas, suggestions and thoughts in this endeavor. I have been able to implement a few and the others would follow.

Keep visiting my site as often as possible; to make it easier and simpler for you, I have included RSS Syndicate as well as commencing a new E-Group titled Retail Enthusiasts. The Group would act as a platform for all the group members to share best practices.

Thank you again and look forward to being in touch.

give me more.

With a little bias, I would like to call them the BIG Four of Indian Retail (like the ones in the Auditing world such as E&Y, PwC, KPMG and Deloitte) – The Future Group, Reliance, Tata and Birla. My very close friends and associates are working in very senior positions in other Retail Organizations, but going by history, these four are expected to lead the Great Indian Retail Story that is unfolding faster than the world believes. While the Future Group came into Bangalore over six years ago, the Tatas and Reliance came over the past years. And last week, Birlas opened their first and largest (yet) Hypermarket in Bangalore. Aptly named more. MEGASTORE, it is located on the Outer Ring Road, quite equidistant from Marathalli, KR Puram and Whitefield. Approximately, over 1 million people are expected to be living in a 10 sq. km area from here (based on various studies on the internet that advocates catchment analyses) and over 100,000 households that appear to be the most relevant target segment. Within the same area, there is a Big Bazaar on Old Madras Road and Whitefield, Total Hypermarket on Sarjapur Road, and a few more expected. With a dozen malls in various level of completion in this area, it is indeed going to be one of the most watched markets in Bangalore as far as Organized Retail is concerned.



I managed to spend some quality time at the new hyper – more from an academic and learning perspective than from the main motive – shopping. My first impression – Wow. State of the art, world class Hypers have arrived and it was nice to see consumers’ acceptance too. By the way, if there is one place where the entire family visits over the weekend to while away time, to buy things that are “perceived” to be cheaper, to catch up with other relatives or to buy some grocery and household articles, then it is the modern Hypers! Yes – it was a sight to see last Saturday when everyone in the family was there – to see the new Outlet, to check out the offers that were being popularized, and to “save” – the new mantra of the modern household families.



While it is a continuing debate on what is the ideal size of the Hypers, how many SKUs should they carry and whether specialty Hypers would work, I believe what we need is higher penetration – more outlets within a locality than fewer “Big Boxes”. We already have a dozen players at a regional, national and international level within the country that are focusing on these models, so it would be possible to have more than one operator/retailer in a specific locality. And Indian consumers need a variety and seek a change quite often, so they would end up visiting different outlets over a period of time – and hence I wonder if “Hyper Store Loyalty” is anything but a big wish for the Retailers.



When one looks at the Store front, it is very welcoming. The “Free Parking” signage is soothing and sends a positive message to shoppers. That there are no other commercial attractions or hangouts close by would mean that visitors come into the store only. As you enter, the Clubmore Loyalty desk is visible. Again, this communicates shoppers that if they are loyal, then they would be rewarded. Smart. Large trolleys are located at the entrance to ensure that most shoppers pick it up as early as possible (for obvious reasons). Just after this, the confusion begins. There are over 18 Cash counters and to enter the ground floor, one has to weed through the customers who are billing! Strange. Almost no one would do that. So, I approached the gentleman who was standing near the check-out, observing and ensuring a disciplined and smooth flow of operations and asked him how/where should I begin my journey. He showed me a travellator that’s near the window and asked me to go to the first floor before I come back to the Ground. I did. I was fumbled to see that the travellator arrives at a dead end – only to be greeted by the Security Guard who is standing there clueless. And just as I pass by, I see another travellator that takes you to the next floor. As always, one couldn’t find a store directory at any of these places. Usually, shoppers who haven’t especially come to shop would have gone up.

But the sincere me who was on an academic tour went into the first floor only to get caught into the crowd. Men’s formals mixed with casuals and then the women’s categories and well, a large “Saree” and other Indian ethnic wear followed and at the end of the floor was stainless steel, plastic and other household items! The travellator at the end of this floor takes you to the ground floor. But I wanted to see the next floor above. So, I came back to where I started and took the way upward. Again, this arrives in a “no-man’s land” – so, I turn left and get into the electronics area which leads to home appliances which leads to sports equipments and ends with bicycles! One walks back all the way to take the travellator down to the next floor and then to the ground floor. Phew. I guess the planners have probably somewhere forgotten why the travellators are created/placed. They are not for moving people from one floor to another (a simple elevator would do that); rather, they are placed such that shoppers walk across areas which they wouldn’t have otherwise and so to see some conversions. So, then I finally came to the ground floor. Strangely, Fruits and Vegetables along with Meat and Dairy products were at the fag end. The philosophy that they must be kept at the entrance is defeated – probably because we expect shoppers to finish buying everything until they reach this area. We expect.

Suddenly realized that I had to pick up some stuff which my aunt had reminded the same morning, so took the list out and bought them. With just three products on hand, I walked towards the cash counters – and voila! All the counters were busy, with atleast three of four trolleys in each of them. There was no “Express Counter” according to one of the staff around, so I politely handed over all the products in his hand to bid adieu. Only to see the signage “Express Counter” at the end! Now, we all agree that most of the shoppers do not visit a hyper to buy the top-ups or the smaller articles, but what happens to those who do so? There were only two express counters and both had atleast six customers and usually, one doesn’t wait for so long.



Finally, I stepped out into the open area where I started my tour. It had taken me about 40 minutes for a full visit from start to finish. I would expect that it would be double or more if one had to shop. Decent enough time to convert as many as possible and also to increase bill values. I am not even talking about the promotions/pricing as they seemed to be attractive enough for families to shop (more than what they would have wanted to). At the entrance (or exit however you call), I didn’t find the customary short-eats – Pop Corn, Sweet Corn, Chat items and some fast food. Although this is not a mainstay, it contributes quite much to the total sales of the Hyper at the end of the day. And it does bring in regular shoppers to have a quick bite. As I stood on the other side of the road, looking at this marvelous structure, I was wondering if all the hype has paid off and what a challenge it would be to sustain the operations. There are large hoardings all over the city placed at strategic locations (one near my house that’s 22 km away from the store), but after all the waiting for the past months and a whole lot of effort by various team members, it was sense of disappointment for me. Of course, an average shopper would think/ interpret/ blog as much as I do, but what they look for in such outlets is not what they get – convenience. After all, Hypermarkets are not about the hyper space alone, it’s also about Hyper convenience of shopping. more.- convenience, if you may allow me to say so.

Mohandas, Mont Blanc and the Mahatma!

An eye for eye will make this whole world blind, said Mahatma Gandhi. Kamal Hassan, ace actor/director of Tamil Cinema recently co-produced a movie titled “Unnai Pol Oruvan” which translated in English means “Someone like you”. The movie is a remake of the recent Hindi super hit movie “A Wednesday”. The protagonist plays a dark role throughout the movie, only to reveal in the end that he was just reacting like a “stupid common man” scared of his environment who demands the Commissioner of Police of the city to discharge four terrorists only to kill them himself through a bomb explosion triggered through a mobile phone from a remote location. Interestingly, one of the characters is named “Karamchand” who plays the role of an “arms dealer & smuggler”. Kamal Hassan, who holds the world record as a male actor having played maximum number of roles, ten to be precise in the 2008 super hit Dasavathaaram (meaning 10 roles) has conspicuously named this character so. Many would know that “Karamchand” is the middle name of the Mahatma, which goes like “Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi”. When I saw this aspect on the movie, I was happy that the movie released two weeks before the Mahatma’s birthday – Oct. 02nd as I thought it was an insult to use the name of the Mahatma for a smuggler and a supporter of terrorists (even though it’s just a movie!). Kamal, 56, who is celebrating 50 years in Indian cinema, always had a different take on the Mahatma’s approach – of non violence and abstinence. In his previous movie on a similar subject “Hey! Ram” (the last words uttered by the great soul after he was shot dead by a Hindu sympathizer who along with many others believed that the Mahatma was solely responsible for the partition of India and creating a new entity named Pakistan) the hero goes to actually kill Gandhi. But before that someone else shoots him. It’s a shame that the legendary actor took this approach in his recent film where he propagates that the answer to terrorism is counter-terrorism. As actors, what they say is what they feel and hence, it is obvious to assume that this is the actors’ personal belief too.



While the whole country is getting ready to celebrate the Mahatma’s birthday next week, an international brand has used (or rather abused) the Mahatma’s name once again. After all, Luxury and the Mahatma do not go hand-in-hand. Gandhi, popularly known as the “Father of the nation” was a Barrister-at-law, worked abroad, returned to India and fought for India’s Independence. He believed that “non-violence” was the only way to fight or protest; His “Quit India” movement against the British was the turning point in the 200 year history of India’s freedom struggle and successfully ensured the country attain Independence at the stroke of the midnight on Aug. 15th, 1947. In the last part of his life, he wore only handloom products – a dhoti (wrap around) and a towel made of cotton (a natural fabric) while he and his supporters used the famous charka to loom cotton at his ashram near Sabarmati in Gujarat. He believed in simple living and intellectual thinking. While he never restricted his followers or well wishers to wear or use expensive products, he himself never used any such thing in the better part of his life.



World’s leading maker of luxury writing instruments Mont Blanc has announced the launch of the “Gandhi Limited Edition” in two collections, one that has 241 pens and the other 3,000. 241 is the number of miles that the Mahatma walked during the “Dandi march” over 24 days – he was protesting the salt regulation by the British and undertook a padayatra or a walking march from his Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi. And the other collection has 3,000 pens, the number of followers who joined him in this march. In the 241 collection, the pens are made of White Gold with 18K Gold threading and an Opel stone on the clip, which costs INR 11,39,000 (USD 23,729). The Luxury Brand promises to donate INR 50,000 (USD 1,040) for every pen sold to The Red Cross Society. In the other collection, every pen is made of Sterling Silver, Ivory lacquer and a garnet stone on the clip. While the Roller Ball is priced at INR 1,47,000 (USD 3,063), the Fountain Pen is priced at INR 1,67,000 (USD 3,480) and even has an imagery of the Mahatma on its gold-plated nib! The Brand promises to share INR 10,000 (USD 208) for Child Literacy for every pen that is sold. While half the total production would be sold all over the world, the other half is available across leading Mont Blanc boutiques in India. During a press conference in the first week of October ‘09, the Luxury Pen would be officially launched by the Brand.





While I have nothing against the Brand (I am myself a connoisseur of the Noblesse Oblige Roller Ball, an awesome Meisterstuck Visiting Card Holder and a Pencil and spectacle frame in the offing), I am surprised that the over-100 year old brand which is synonymous with “High Quality Writing” has taken this approach to make inroads into India. While I wouldn’t be surprised if this collection gets completely sold out in less than a year, I am yet to come to terms if this was the best approach for the Brand to reach out to the country at large. This blog is probably my first (and hopefully last) on Brand-Bashing, but I would never appreciate such an approach. While Corporate Social Responsibility is essential in today’s scenario, there could have been other themes than Gandhi to get popular. Many Organizations undertake CSR for the heck of it without meaning it really. Fine. But please, for nobility’s sake, spare Gandhi. Let him continue to show his smiling face on picture frames and postal stamps. And let's enjoy a public holiday every year on his birthday. My sincere apologies for this insult, dear Mahatma.