Established in 1905, Nilgiris is one of the pioneers of organised retail in India and a heritage brand with a storied legacy of delivering quality customer service. Operating under the banner of Future Group, Nilgiris spawns 215 F&G outlets across Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala with a total retail area spanning 4.45 lakh sq.ft. The supermarket chain is positioned as a neighborhood store that guarantees assortment, range and freshness. “Nilgiris operates on the foundation of personal connect that translates into quality service and continues to build on its product range in order to respond to its customer’s evolving needs,” says CEO Venkateshwar Kumar in a chat with Progressive Grocer during which he outlines his plans to propel future growth of Nilgiris by going for a more contemporary look, by building on its existing infrastructure and with the help of more updated technology.
Describe your personal journey as a retailer. How has it translated into the monumental success of Nilgiris’ retail operation?
I started my retail journey with the Future Group in 2005 and I operate on the group’s core belief that retail is our religion, stores are our temples and customers are no less than God. This philosophy has helped me spearhead Future Group’s operations in South India through an aggressive expansion initiative that encompasses all states and population strata in the southern region. While I was heading the large-format hypermarket Big Bazaar in the initial phase of my retail career, I have expanded into Future Group’s FBB (fashion format) and supermarket business through the Nilgiris brand over the past few years. While retail is my passion and has been a significant part of my career, I began my professional journey in FMCG after completing my MBA from T.A. Pai Management Institute (Manipal) in 1991. After a 12-year successful stint of working with various national and multinational FMCG and tele-com companies, I ventured into retail. As Head of the South Zone at Future Group, I am now overseeing 70 hypermarkets, 15 FBB stores and more than 200 Nilgiris supermarkets with over 5,000 employees, and am on a single-minded mission to delight millions of customers walking through the aisles of Future Group retail stores.
What are Niligiris’ marked differentiators that set it apart from other F&B retail players?
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Gurgaon's First and Most Successful Independent F&G Retailer
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