Ask Ashni Biyani, a director of the Future Ideas Group, about how she got interested in her dad's retail business empire, and pop comes the reply: "I have been working for the last 15 years!" During her school days, she used to be taken to malls and did her own bit of observing people. It's the Kishore Biyani way of grooming the next generation of Biyanis.
Vivek Biyani, the 25-year-old son of Kishore's brother Vijay, remembers spending his holidays sitting in at meetings where his dad and uncle (Kishore) used to make key business decisions. The timing of their formal induction as directors couldn't have been better— in 2007, when consumer spending was at its peak. One year later they were battling a slowdown. Ashni and Vivek are directors on the board of Future Ideas and Home Solutions Retail India respectively. "Our learning has been extensive. I understood that one can't have the same strategy for growth and recession," says Ashni. Adds Vivek: "We have to continuously engage with customers."
Ashni Biyani, 25, General business management course, Stanford. - Work experience: None.
- In family business : Since 2007.
- Now: Director, Future Ideas Group.
- Lesson from parents: Be a keen observer and learner in life.
- Fast forward 2020: I wish I had planned so much about the future.
|
At Future Ideas, Ashni's job is to understand consumer mindset across different communities, understand their buying behaviour, share the findings with all the group companies and convert them into business ideas. For instance, in a Muslim dominated area, she observed that buyers liked ornate furniture, so the nearby Future Group store started stocking more of such items instead of modular stuff. Then, when a store was opened in a very traditional area of Bangalore, she found that gulkand (a sweet preserve of rose petals) was the most commonly used food item, so the store made a gulkand section.
Ashni's professors vouch for this quality of hers. Swati Unakar, Head of Textile Department at Bangalore-based Srishti School of Art, Design & Technology, recalls that Ashni was quick in completing a project of designing a furnishing material for a client. "She interacted with the customer and was able to meet the deadline," says Unakar.
Vivek Biyani, 24, BBA, University of Michigan - Work experience: None.
- In family business : Since 2008.
- Now: Director, Home Solutions Retail (India).
- Lesson from parents: The value system they inculcated in us since childhood.
- Fast forward 2020: Play a role which decides the Future Group's financial investments and business related investments.
|
Today, Ashni is working on "family centre stores", which could become a community meeting ground. Her cousin, on the other hand, is ambitious about addressing the demand for a one-stop home solution needs. "My aim is to tap demand opportunities and create consumption," says a confident Vivek, who also looks after E-Zone, the electronics chain. After graduating from the University of Michigan, he spent a few months in Kishore Biyani's office to understand the various group businesses and chose to be part of the home solutions business.
