Every mountain is built from a molehill. Such is the story of Nanu Gupta. In 1967, Nanu Gupta began a television showroom in Mumbai’s Mahim. And at that time, he had no occurrence in equaling an entrepreneur, no money to spend in the store and, most importantly, television was still muffled in most parts of India.
That, however, did not stop Nanu from freeing the showroom and he named it after his younger brother – Vijay Sales. In the forty years since the shop has blossomed into an imperialism that sells electronics with more than 70 branches across north India.
Nanu came to Mumbai to work for Usha International distributor where he discovered all about dealing with customers and their demands. A few years later, he determined to ignite his own business in Mahim- Vijay Sales, which was originally a showroom of televisions.
Nanu did not beget the money to begin his business so the opening sum of Rs 2,000 was borrowed from friends.
The room that he rented was mere 200 sq ft.However, what made it a success was that Nanu was good at understanding customer needs and responding accordingly.
In an interview with DNA, Nanu said:
I started it with four things: best products, service, price and honesty.
The first branch of Vijay Sales has now extended to be 40,000 sq ft and is also one of the remnants of the city. Nilesh Gupta, Nanu Gupta’s son is now the managing partner of Vijay Sales.
In an interview with The Hindu Business Line, Nanu said:
It was not easy to get customers as there was strong competition even in those days. We kept all the TV sets on at our stores unlike rivals, who switched them off. This was a way to attract shoppers to our stores.
Talking about keeping up with current trends, he further added:
Today, we try to beat the competition by bringing in branded flat panel and plasma TVs even before companies start advertising the new models.
Nanu Gupta believed in expanding business only after gaining a steady ground to stand on. So, though they were successful, it took more than twenty years to start the second branch of Vijay Sales.
