Saurav Bhattacharya
President
Afragrance is all that it takes to travel through time, such is the bond between memory and smell”, Haji Ajmal Ali, Founding Father, Ajmal Perfumes.
Founded by the Late Haji Ajmal Ali in the early 1950s in Assam, India the journey of Ajmal Perfumes is that of the story of 'A Farmer to A Perfumer'. Ajmal Perfumes has grown from a modest trading house into a multimillion dollar corporate entity thanks to the Late Haji Ajmal Ali's vision and unstinting dedication to the craft of perfumery. Ajmal’s business headquartered out of Dubai, United Arab Emirates is steered by the passion of Ajmal's second and third generations, each playing a pivotal role in the brand's growth. In its entirety, Ajmal Perfumes is a brand with a rich heritage acquired through almost seven decades of experience and know how in the intricate art of perfumery.
Ajmal Perfumes has been crafting memories for 70+ years. The brand has a vast portfolio of over 300 of the finest fragrances with a strong retail presence with over 240+ exclusive retail outlets across the GCC and the world. In India, Ajmal Perfumes is available at 3000 points of sale across a mix of channels and is present across 40+ e-commerce sites where it is one of the biggest single brand perfumery houses.
Saurav Bhattacharya, President at Ajmal & Sons NHA Division, has been spearheading operations since 2018, successfully establishing the new division focusing on new age formats including MBO, modern trade, and e-commerce. Saurav and his team have been able to set a new paradigm in the online space by leveraging consumer sampling and
education to build consumer connections with the brand. Under his leadership, the brand is rapidly expanding its franchise model with over 100 franchised stores planned to be set up in the next three years. Let’s hear it from Saurav as he talks about the NHA Division of Ajmal Perfumes.
What are the different business strategies adopted by the organization to be able to make the brand reach out to its customers?
We believe in a multi pronged approach to sustainable growth and success in the complex market segment of perfumes, which includes, a unique value delivery model with end-to-end solutions for consumers at an inclusive price, and Brick and Mortar Go-to-Market strategy. As we are a legacy brand it becomes important not only to reach out to the mature consumers who are 35 and above but also to the Millennials and Gen Z who are our core TG and by aggressively focusing on the inclusivity of women consumers towards the brand through social media handles, we have shifted the needle in line with the way the opportunity lies in the market.
Tell us about the value delivery model of the brand. How do you constantly adapt to the changing trends of the market?
As a home grown brand in the space, we at the NHA Division of Ajmal & Sons are committed to the cause of development of the category of perfumes in India and therefore activated a unique value delivery model. It is built on a deep understanding of the Indian market and the collation of insights by the extensive physical working of the market and thereby a consumer closeness, which enables us to understand the market dynamics and trends early on to create sustainable differentials. We believe that it is important to break the current paradigms by blending past learnings, current realism, and our future vision for accelerated growth.
With the constant evolution of the Indian market, our focus has been to make customers move from a need based to a want based consumption paradigm, integrating with global lifestyles and consumption patterns
What are the different business strategies adopted by the organization to be able to make the brand reach out to its customers?
We believe in a multi pronged approach to sustainable growth and success in the complex market segment of perfumes, which includes, a unique value delivery model with end-to-end solutions for consumers at an inclusive price, and Brick and Mortar Go-to-Market strategy. As we are a legacy brand it becomes important not only to reach out to the mature consumers who are 35 and above but also to the Millennials and Gen Z who are our core TG and by aggressively focusing on the inclusivity of women consumers towards the brand through social media handles, we have shifted the needle in line with the way the opportunity lies in the market.
Tell us about the value delivery model of the brand. How do you constantly adapt to the changing trends of the market?
As a home grown brand in the space, we at the NHA Division of Ajmal & Sons are committed to the cause of development of the category of perfumes in India and therefore activated a unique value delivery model. It is built on a deep understanding of the Indian market and the collation of insights by the extensive physical working of the market and thereby a consumer closeness, which enables us to understand the market dynamics and trends early on to create sustainable differentials. We believe that it is important to break the current paradigms by blending past learnings, current realism, and our future vision for accelerated growth.
Moreover, our Go-to-market strategy is designed to reach out and engage with a maximum number of consumers to deliver our unique value proposition.
What are the advantages of manufacturing your products in India?
We believed in Make in India and Atmanir bharta. When we started, we used to import from Dubai which was making the product expensive hence we started manufacturing the products in India, and today, about 70 percent of our sales come from the products manufactured in India. By leveraging Make in India products, we are proud to say that we are the only company with end-to-end solutions and offer 10ml or 20ml perfume from a Gen Z perspective at a price as low as INR 300 – 500 which no other brands will be able to do.
What have you envisioned for the future of the company?
Fundamentally by 2023 this time, we will expand our coverage from 5000 outlets to 25000 outlets. This will not only happen through perfumery but we are launching something very big in the adjacent category which will drive our coverage up. We are also looking at some more co-brand associations and driving e-commerce in a very big way apart from B2B2C we are in the process of strengthening our custom B2C module and hopefully, it will be a huge success for not only India but the other three major markets of GCC, UK, and the US. With the constant evolution of the Indian market, our focus has been to make customers move from a need based to a want based consumption paradigm, integrating with global lifestyles and consumption patterns.
What are the values that drive this vision?
We move forward with three core values; first we always put people ahead of products. We believe that the product can be presented by any company but if we have the right people to be able to present the product then it takes a very different avatar. Second every team member understands what drives profitability to the consumer and the company together holistically. And third, as a leader, the development of youngsters has always been and will be our priority. At the NHA Division of Ajmal & Sons, we have an Accelerated Management Development program in place for our young managers which prioritizes accelerated learning and elaborate cross-functional exposure under mentors.
What are the advantages of manufacturing your products in India?
We believed in Make in India and Atmanir bharta. When we started, we used to import from Dubai which was making the product expensive hence we started manufacturing the products in India, and today, about 70 percent of our sales come from the products manufactured in India. By leveraging Make in India products, we are proud to say that we are the only company with end-to-end solutions and offer 10ml or 20ml perfume from a Gen Z perspective at a price as low as INR 300 – 500 which no other brands will be able to do.
What have you envisioned for the future of the company?
Fundamentally by 2023 this time, we will expand our coverage from 5000 outlets to 25000 outlets. This will not only happen through perfumery but we are launching something very big in the adjacent category which will drive our coverage up. We are also looking at some more co-brand associations and driving e-commerce in a very big way apart from B2B2C we are in the process of strengthening our custom B2C module and hopefully, it will be a huge success for not only India but the other three major markets of GCC, UK, and the US. With the constant evolution of the Indian market, our focus has been to make customers move from a need based to a want based consumption paradigm, integrating with global lifestyles and consumption patterns.
What are the values that drive this vision?
We move forward with three core values; first we always put people ahead of products. We believe that the product can be presented by any company but if we have the right people to be able to present the product then it takes a very different avatar. Second every team member understands what drives profitability to the consumer and the company together holistically. And third, as a leader, the development of youngsters has always been and will be our priority. At the NHA Division of Ajmal & Sons, we have an Accelerated Management Development program in place for our young managers which prioritizes accelerated learning and elaborate cross-functional exposure under mentors.