In the congested Grant Road which is in the heart of Mumbai where cinema halls, food outlets and thousands of stores operate cheek by jowl, Sheetal is a very unlikely but popular fashion destination. Started in 1979 by the late Babubhai Shah, it was an 800 sq ft general store. Today, it has grown into a 35,000 sq ft fashion complex, offering apparel for men, women, and kids. Sheetal now has outlets at the classy Warden Road, Inorbit and Oberoi malls as well as in Singapore, New Jersey, and Dubai. There is constant innovation now as the second generation headed by Dhiren Shah is the driving force of the store. The management of Sheetal’s growing business is still firmly in the hands of the Shah brothers. Chairman Damji Shah is at the helm, while director and CEO Dhiren is the ‘face’ of the business, and Jiten is the head merchandiser. “There has been a constant process of innovation in our stores every 5-10 years. Besides changing the décor and ambience of the stores, we have gone in for specialised garment bifurcation–casual, semiformal and formal along with some footwear, shawls and jewellery,” reveals Dhiren Shah. In the 80s when the couture fever spread in Mumbai, Sheetal was the first garment store to rope in a high fashion designer in 1989 to create a design studio. Designer Hemant Trevedi gave a new fashion direction to Sheetal’s staid image and turned it into a label. He changed the logo and brought in award-winning fashion graduates and the store entered the export market. Sheetal Design Studio is the largest in-store studio in the country with 35 designers and five workshops manned by over 600 skilled workers. Trevedi’s concept to upgrade the store was simple and practical–to create an affluent atmosphere around the store. In 2002, Sheetal got designers Manish Malhotra and Aki Narula. This move brought into Sheetal a flood of new star clientele as well as page 3 socialites and Miss India contestants, which raised the store’s image. Branding a store could be difficult if it is a traditional one, but Sheetal started with the appearance and décor, after sales service like exchange, money back, home delivery and custom tailoring in every department. “We watch the trends of today and tomorrow. This is the secret of our success,” reveals Shah, who swears by the 3Ms–management, merchandise and marketing. Sheetal now has classy minimalistic interiors. The staff is uniformed, groomed and trained to handle customers with the right fashion advice. Garments are displayed on stylish racks and shelves and the window displays are dramatic, attracting the passersby. The store offers something for everyone—right from the friendly neighbours to personalised services for Middle East clients in exclusive salons. The store’s striking ad campaigns in the 80s and 90s, were launched to promote the collections by Trivedi and the Design Studio, giving Sheetal a sweeping edge over competitors. The launch of the Sheetal Design Studio (SDS) label in 1999 also helped, as it was geared for a new range of fusionwear. The label has seen a 60 per cent growth since then, and 95 per cent of the garments are designed inhouse, which makes them exclusive as well as affordable. Another mode of business which brings in a chunk of revenues for the company is mail orders. Started in 1988, the catalogues are mailed free to people around the world. The service caters to 2,50,000 NRIs worldwide, and a section of people also place orders online.Moving with the times, Sheetal stores also find favour with mall shoppers. “We are already in Inorbit and Oberoi Malls but with the SDS label of fusionwear. The mall concept has to set in and we may choose to move into ten select malls but at the end of the day, a standalone store will always work better than a small outlet in a mall. Mall shopping is more for family outings, therefore, the products have to be price conscious fashion items in the range of Rs 800-1500,” feels Shah.Going forward, Shah plans to advertise aggressively, with a budget of Rs 2 crore, and focus on product development as well as direct marketing. He is keen on opening more exclusive outlets in India and aboard. ”But no franchising for us as many may not have the knowledge of running a fashion store,” he says. Plans are on to launch Sheetal outlets in Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, and Hyderabad in the future.Also on the planner is turning the Sheetal flagship store at Grant Road into a 1,20,000 sq ft international style shopping mall housing international brands with restaurants and entertainment features.In the congested Grant Road which is in the heart of Mumbai where cinema halls, food outlets and thousands of stores operate cheek by jowl, Sheetal is a very unlikely but popular fashion destination. Started in 1979 by the late Babubhai Shah, it was an 800 sq ft general store. Today, it has grown into a 35,000 sq ft fashion complex, offering apparel for men, women, and kids. Sheetal now has outlets at the classy Warden Road, Inorbit and Oberoi malls as well as in Singapore, New Jersey, and Dubai. There is constant innovation now as the second generation headed by Dhiren Shah is the driving force of the store. The management of Sheetal’s growing business is still firmly in the hands of the Shah brothers. Chairman Damji Shah is at the helm, while director and CEO Dhiren is the ‘face’ of the business, and Jiten is the head merchandiser. “There has been a constant process of innovation in our stores every 5-10 years. Besides changing the décor and ambience of the stores, we have gone in for specialised garment bifurcation–casual, semiformal and formal along with some footwear, shawls and jewellery,” reveals Dhiren Shah. In the 80s when the couture fever spread in Mumbai, Sheetal was the first garment store to rope in a high fashion designer in 1989 to create a design studio. Designer Hemant Trevedi gave a new fashion direction to Sheetal’s staid image and turned it into a label. He changed the logo and brought in award-winning fashion graduates and the store entered the export market. Sheetal Design Studio is the largest in-store studio in the country with 35 designers and five workshops manned by over 600 skilled workers. Trevedi’s concept to upgrade the store was simple and practical–to create an affluent atmosphere around the store. In 2002, Sheetal got designers Manish Malhotra and Aki Narula. This move brought into Sheetal a flood of new star clientele as well as page 3 socialites and Miss India contestants, which raised the store’s image. Branding a store could be difficult if it is a traditional one, but Sheetal started with the appearance and décor, after sales service like exchange, money back, home delivery and custom tailoring in every department. “We watch the trends of today and tomorrow. This is the secret of our success,” reveals Shah, who swears by the 3Ms–management, merchandise and marketing. Sheetal now has classy minimalistic interiors. The staff is uniformed, groomed and trained to handle customers with the right fashion advice. Garments are displayed on stylish racks and shelves and the window displays are dramatic, attracting the passersby. The store offers something for everyone—right from the friendly neighbours to personalised services for Middle East clients in exclusive salons. The store’s striking ad campaigns in the 80s and 90s, were launched to promote the collections by Trivedi and the Design Studio, giving Sheetal a sweeping edge over competitors. The launch of the Sheetal Design Studio (SDS) label in 1999 also helped, as it was geared for a new range of fusionwear. The label has seen a 60 per cent growth since then, and 95 per cent of the garments are designed inhouse, which makes them exclusive as well as affordable. Another mode of business which brings in a chunk of revenues for the company is mail orders. Started in 1988, the catalogues are mailed free to people around the world. The service caters to 2,50,000 NRIs worldwide, and a section of people also place orders online.Moving with the times, Sheetal stores also find favour with mall shoppers. “We are already in Inorbit and Oberoi Malls but with the SDS label of fusionwear. The mall concept has to set in and we may choose to move into ten select malls but at the end of the day, a standalone store will always work better than a small outlet in a mall. Mall shopping is more for family outings, therefore, the products have to be price conscious fashion items in the range of Rs 800-1500,” feels Shah.Going forward, Shah plans to advertise aggressively, with a budget of Rs 2 crore, and focus on product development as well as direct marketing. He is keen on opening more exclusive outlets in India and aboard. ”But no franchising for us as many may not have the knowledge of running a fashion store,” he says. Plans are on to launch Sheetal outlets in Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, and Hyderabad in the future.Also on the planner is turning the Sheetal flagship store at Grant Road into a 1,20,000 sq ft international style shopping mall housing international brands with restaurants and entertainment features.
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