Baby Boomers

The Bharwani brothers are growing the Kanmo Group into a retail powerhouse.

- Yessar Rosendar

In 2016, Indonesia had the world’s fourth largest middle class comprising 19.6 million households, a figure that is expected to rise to 23.9 million by 2030, according to Euromonitor. The birth rate is healthy too, which the World Bank reported was 2.44 per woman in 2015. As such, children and maternity products are alluring to business people. In Indonesia, British retailer Mothercare, one of the largest in the business, has entrusted the marketing of its products to the Kanmo Group, which is made up of companies focusing on retail distribution.

The Group, founded by Manoj and Hitesh Bharwani, opened its first Mothercare store – it was also the group’s first retail outlet – at Taman Anggrek Mall Jakarta back in 2005. The brand is now sold in 44 outlets nationwide, the most recent one being at SKA Mal, Pekanbaru. The Bharwanis chose to start their retail business in the children and maternity segment at a time when there were still no players in the market. Mothercare was chosen as it is the leading global brand in that particular segment and many, including the Bharwanis, were already accustomed to it.

“We decided to start this business 13 years ago after talking to friends to understand the market with an eye to the birth rate in Indonesia. We felt that the baby and maternity segment was something missing in the market,” Manoj, co-founder and managing director of the Kanmo Group, says.