Textile scion's mantra for success - 'Know your business'

12 Aug '11

10 min read

“When it comes to developing strategies, managing risk and people, I consider my father as my ultimate mentor. When it concerned learning about brands and retail, I looked upon Mr J Suresh, who heads our apparel brands and retail division.

“When trying to understand the nuances of the textile business, I preferred to go right to the shop floor. In order to gain more insight in to retailing, I went to the market, even to tier IV and V towns and met retailers and wholesalers, before launching the concept of 'Arvind Store'.

The concept of the new retailing format 'Arvind Store' germinated from Kulin. According to him, an EBO or a LFS selling an 'Arrow' shirt has its foot print limitations. However, by bundling together the clothing brands, the fabrics and bespoke tailoring services, he hopes to widen the reach and in the process target consumers even in smaller towns and cities.

A typical 'Arvind Store' stocks garment brands, bottom weight and shirting fabrics all from the versatile textile group, as well as offers bespoke tailoring services. From humble beginnings last year, the Arvind Store count is expected to touch 70 by the fiscal year-end, with plans to add 100 stores each year.

Last year, Arvind had proposed starting FMCG style fabric retailing. When quizzed about the progress of the division, which too is led by Kulin, he said, “The business has been able to attain volumes which now account for 35-40 percent of our fabric shirting retailing division, and we hope to take it to around 50-60 percent in the next few years.”

He does not think that his entry in to the business was easy. “You have to really work hard to earn the respect and credibility of your colleagues. At each stage I had to prove myself and not just gained respect because of my surname. I want to be judged for whatever I am doing and prove myself, before I take on a higher responsibility.

“My father told us to start small, prove ourselves and then climb the ladder. That is the reason; I started off with the smaller FMCG style of fabric retailing division. Then I started looking after the clothing retailing side and started the 'Arvind Store' and now I am looking at building brands as a larger responsibility”.

On question of ethics in business, Kulin offers his opinion by saying, “Businesses differentiate themselves most through culture and value, which builds sustainable companies. Worldwide, the most successful family managed companies, built them on a set of values and integrated them in to the DNA of the company, which are sustaining them till date.

“While financial performance comes from many factors like market, the economy etc, the health of the company is derived from the culture and values laid down by the founder”.

As part of its corporate social responsibilities, which are the ethos of Arvind, the company has taken up contract farming of cotton on almost 20,000 acres in Vidharbha in Maharashtra. Vidharbha had become famous for the high number of cotton farmer suicides in the last few years. This initiative from Arvind has helped raise the income levels of the farmers in the region. Arvind has helped build social infrastructure to improve lifestyles of the farmers.

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