The Shoestopper

Namrata A Chotrani joined Khadim in late 2019 with the company going through subdued growth and low profitability. Even with a strong brand recall, the company was not monetizing to its potential. “We reoriented the focus to process, people and profitability. This led us to restructure the range architecture, margin and cost structures, and supply chain making us more working capital efficient,” shares Namrata Ashok Chotrani, CEO, Khadim India. These changes further ensured that the organization was able to adapt to the changing macro-economic scenario, overcome prior business inefficiencies and deliver a turnaround despite the impact of COVID on business and the economy. She also refocused on consumer engagement through the trinity approach of enhanced product range which is a much more fashionable, younger, vibrant, and refreshed in-store experience while keeping the affordable price point. “This has allowed us to better connect with consumers from the younger generation. As part of our people initiatives, we have strengthened our company by promoting talent and diversity, especially with women and other genders. As a team, we have successfully achieved a turnaround in the business delivering profit in the last 7 quarters,” adds Chotrani.

Namrata Ashok Chotrani, CEO, Khadim India

Chotrani learned her skills working in her father’s retail shop and during her professional stint in consulting and private equity. “This has taught me to be a business-oriented professional with a hands-on approach to executing projects end to end with complete ownership. I have tried to create a similar working culture focused on people that take pride and ownership in work. Empowering individuals to deliver on aligned goals in a collaborative work culture where everyone has ownership of the vision leads to last-mile accountability,” states Chotrani.

Chotrani believes in transparent communication and having an open-door policy. “I consciously make it a point to engage with my colleagues (across departments and levels), store managers and floor staff, franchisee partners, and distributors to incorporate their inputs effectively. I firmly believe that good organizations have effective two-way communication,” she mentions.

With regards to the distribution business, the focus is more on a mass range of products. In order to ensure consistency in supply, cost, and quality of this range of products one needs to have proper control of internal production. Khadim has been actively engaged in manufacturing Hawaai and PVC footwear. They have increased their focus on manufacturing other categories of products to increase the product basket in order to support the growth of the business.

Fact File

• Age:37 years
• Year of joining the current organization:2019
• Total team size:718 permanent employees as on March 31, 2022
• Turnover of the organization:591cr as on March 31, 2022