This Business Tycoon & Husband of India's Bollywood Diva was Among Top 5 Personalities Searched on Google in 2018 Anand Ahuja's brands Bhane and VegNonVeg offer all that the modern consumer enjoys in retail
By Aashika Jain
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In a year that was full of celebrity weddings and celeb talks in India, Anand Ahuja, the owner of the popular clothing brand Bhane, occupied the fifth position in India's Top 5 Personalities in Search category.
What makes this Delhi-based entrepreneur extra special is also his marriage to Bollywood's diva Sonam Kapoor earlier in May in the same year. He thinks the most exciting thing about being an entrepreneur is talking about ideas and experiencing the highs and lows of a business.
In a chat with Entrepreneur India, Ahuja spoke about what is dominating the fashion industry, how clothing is now more evolved in India and what is interesting for the youth of today's India.
Ahuja's grandfather, Harish Ahuja, runs one of India's largest export house, Shahi Exports, of which Anand Ahuja is the Managing Director. Besides his popular clothing brand Bhane, he also owns VegNonVeg, India's first multi-brand sneaker store.
What Makes Bhane Successful
Ahuja is the new big name in fashion and retail with his contemporary clothing brand Bhane. Speaking to Entrepreneur India on what the key to his quick success is he said focus on what you want to do with your brand.
"Today's world is not about big formats. Ten years ago, we used to go to one store and buy everything. But today we have a lot more brands. Today we buy socks from one brand and our t-shirts from one brand. Bhane once made the mistake of trying to do too much, and now going back into this, we are now a focussed brand," Ahuja said.
Is India Ready to Experiment?
Ahuja thinks India is a very huge, the market is young it's growing, it has only started just now.
"The biggest thing is to be patient anyone for who is starting a brand. I think people will start accepting it visually but in terms of buying it, that will take a little bit time because India historically has been such where you go buy the fabric and you go and get your shirt made, women get their sarees made, it takes time to change," Ahuja explained.
The 38-year old believes for a change to be accepted, one needs to be patient and enjoy the process. He sees India as a country that is a young market where people are accepting what is being made, and thinks it will take time for Indians to accept it. He, however, has faith that India is ready to experiment.
Online Retail Vs Offline Retail
Ahuja thinks online and offline retail both have their pros and cos and both will exist five or six years from now.
"There will never be one or the other; the idea is that both will complement each other, so offline the way we see it is about the experience it's about interacting with people it's not about sales and online is about repeat sales so offline is about new people coming and experimenting," said Ahuja.
He believes both online and offline shopping pattern is important and will exist both has its own importance as the online shopping is more focused on sales and saves time and the offline shopping pattern helps in knowing the customer's preference, taste and demands.
Ahuja is a believer in the entrepreneurial community – you get to interact with many people in the same environment says the owner of two brands.
