This is the story of Kishore Biyani, whose name might not be as familiar as his brand amongst the Indians. He has revolutionized the Indian retail market. He is the founder and CEO of the Future Group.
Born into a Rajasthani middle-class family, he in his 20’s helped his grandfather to sell dhotis and sarees by traveling with him to Mumbai. Kishore then decided to take the business further by starting manufacturing trousers. He was capable of finding success by pursuing the path and soon owned a company.
Kishore was interested in business more than his academics and while helping his grandfather he correspondingly began studying about marketing and advertising. While developing his ideas he thought of a place where the Indian consumers could find everything under one roof. He shared his ideas with his close friends and received high appreciation eventually boosting his confidence.
Around this time he got married which lead to his plans for the venture to be stalled. And after his marriage, he thought of sticking to the manufacturing business. In 1987, his clothes manufacturing company that made trousers and other clothes was named ‘Pantaloon’, close to the Urdu word ‘patloon’ which means pants. The quality of the product brought him goodwill from the customers and the retailers kept extra stock ready for sale. This success and immense profits convinced him to launch his own store.
He began his first store in Goa and within a year was able to sweep the share market which made him start a retail chain. He brought together E-Zone, Big Bazaar, Brand Factory, Food Bazaar, Home Town etc and sourced the small cities of the country. Pantaloon then became successful as India’s largest retail chain, which made Aditya Birla Group to obtain it.
Kishore did not require a big degree to reach the height he is at today. Yet he was capable of building an empire from scratch and boosted the Indian economy.
Future group has been able to build a varied image in the Indian fashion sector which earns a turnover of Rs 18,000 crore annually. Kishore’s future plan includes acquiring a turnover of one lakh crore rupees by the year 2021.
(Image Source: Business Today)
