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Saville Row is still miles away from the indian sub-continent. But here’s a man who’s taken it upon himself to create space for his brand on the global stage
Sparkling lights, dazzling crystals, glamorous dresses and pulsating beats… one just cannot desire for more from spectacular models walking the ramp with unique fits and royal cuts. And who deserves credit for all this? Well, it’s none other than the Indian Textile industry which is currently upbeat and all enthusiastic about its much exaggerated novel innovations and celebrity endorsements. So there we were, all set for an encounter with S. Krishnamoorthy, President & Head of Textiles Unit, Grasim Industries Ltd, a flagship of the Rs.175 crore Aditya Birla Groupwhich has been synonymous to urbane chic fashion and classy apparels for ages now.
We entered his office and the sight that greeted us made us believe that in the midst of this glitz and shimmer surrounding the word fashion and apparels, there still exists ‘simplicity’! We shook hands with a man whose impeccable simple charm and efficacy has enabled him to roll aside the biggest boulder on his path to success. Krish, as his business card pronounces his name (and not the fantasy Indian Super Hero) was somewhere in his sixties, simply dressed and was taking his brunch bites off his plate. He was done with it in a while and then began our chat session with a man whose friendly approach and warm smile was unbelievable considering the industry to which he belonged.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in Science (in 1973) and has further completed a Diploma in Wet Processing of Textiles from City & Guilds, London. His industry ride started in 1974 with a stint at Madura Fabrics and later on joined Arvind Mills in 1995. There, he laid down a plant which later proved to be a marvel as it turned into a shopping place for all the premium brands in the world, currently producing about 34 million meters of high value shirting. On being asked about his alliance with Grasim for 8 long years, he humbly asserts, “The experience with the Birla group has been awesome. We have certain values like integrity, commitment, speed, passion et al.” Crowned as one of the most dynamic Sales & Marketing personnel in the Indian textile industry and credited with the growth of Grasim Brand in the domestic arena, he claims that, “To dominate in Indian market you need to have a strong brand image. And that’s what I have done with Grasim. I made it a Grasim Brand; the brand from then to now. And today, we command a huge 15% market share!”
Taking key consumer insights into consideration, Grasim earns many applauds for its fabulous product range which includes sub-brands nurturing a whole array of choices such as Freedom (the softest fabric currently available), Ice Touch (a fabric which keep body temperature at 5 degrees cooler), Venetia (the latest line of Italian stripes and checks), Medova (international fabric launched for the first time with Modal), Caramel (soft, smooth and light weight fabric) and many other exclusive showroom products. Today the Grasim group has forty-five exclusive brand stores under its umbrella and plans to add thirty more by next year. And what about its global operations? Well, it is fast spreading its wings across continents and is foraying into European and many other markets explaining which he adds, “In our case, 50% of our total revenues come from the domestic market and the rest comes from exports. And that is because we have focused on both the markets.” Grasim is also belligerent about increasing its pan-India presence through its strategy of establishing itself in the tier two and tier three cities as well. And apart from roping-in Akshay Kumar as its brand endorser, it has also tied up with Godrej Aadhar and ITC’s eChoupal to tap the ever growing demand and revenues in the rural and rurban markets. “I think the overall industry has grown phenomenally during the past two years. Globally speaking, the reason for this forward march is the abolition of quota systems and in the domestic market the prime reasons are an increase in purchasing power and of course, the retail revolution,” asserts Krishnamoorthy who is also an active participant in the Indian textile industry and a member of CII for textiles.
But while there’s prosperity for one, the others are not deprived of the furious pace at which the industry (both in India and globally) is marching ahead at; and that’s precisely where competition creeps in. When asked about the same, he calmly responds, “We might not have created a strong brand name and though we are invisible in the global markets, yet our revenues are equally distributed geographically...” Confidence for sure in his tone, something most expected from a veteran who has had his share of experience in domestic & global sales, marketing and exports as the President of Grasim Industries.
With an ode to the enormous amount of success attained so far, we couldn’t help but wonder about his next agenda. “We are also looking at the JV route; we are talking with some European markets together for technology & design for womenwear...” Sure enough, this man exuded confidence that would ratle his competitors and please his customers. Meet this leader and you’d believe us when we say that Krish is indeed a “self made man”!
Edit bureau: Neha Saraiya
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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
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