Kerala - Kochi   

Singhania keeps his date with Kochi

The complete man: Raymond chairman and managing director Gautam Hari Singhania in Kochi.

KOCHI: High-flier Gautam Hari Singhania kept his date with Kochi this week when, in his inimitable style, he flew down to the city for the opening of a kids’ wear showroom of his company.

The head of Raymond Ltd. who has been responsible for the strategic decisions and overall performance of the group companies and instrumental in restructuring the group was all enthusiasm about landing at the Marine Drive in a helicopter.

With the aim of making Raymond a more focussed company in its areas of core competence – textiles and readymade garments, Mr. Singhania has initiated the divestment of the non-core businesses - synthetics, steel and cement.

Post-divestment, Mr. Singhania has spearheaded various investment initiatives towards upgradation of Raymond’s various manufacturing facilities, thus taking Raymond’s technological and innovation capabilities to world-class status.

It is under Mr. Singhania’s leadership that Raymond acquired the high-end casual wear brand ColorPlus and the Portuguese Textile Company Regency Texteis Portuguesa Limitada. While the ColorPlus acquisition has helped Raymond further consolidate its position in the apparel segment, the Regency acquisition has given Raymond a manufacturing and distribution base in the important European market.

With a drive for creating new brands, Mr. Singhania has taken active interest in the launch of new brands that are either leaders or pioneers in their categories. While Be:, a radical pioneering venture of ‘corporatisation of designer wear’ has been conceptualised by him, it is under his leadership that the Raymond Group conceptualised the radical launch of KamaSutra, a premium condom brand. Parx, the premium casual wear brand, and Manzoni, the luxury lifestyle brand, have been launched under his leadership.

Steering Raymond ahead on the growth path, Mr. Singhania has recently initiated major expansion programmes with investments valued at over Rs.225 crore for the group.

Under his leadership, JK Files & Tools has also grown considerably. It is today the world’s largest producer of steel files with close to 90 per cent market share in India and about 35 per cent in the world, enjoying the No.1 position in the world market.

Mr. Singhania has been honoured with the Indo-American Young Achievers Award. Besides this, he is also a member of the YPO (Young President Organisation) Forum. Under his leadership, the Raymond Group has received many awards, such as ‘The Most Respected Company in the Ready-mades & Textiles Sector’ instituted by the Business World in 2003 and the award for the ‘Best Suit Brand’ award for Park Avenue at the Images Fashion Awards 2004 (IFA).

Mr. Singhania also launched the brand Zapp! for kids. Mr. Singhania unveiled the autumn-winter ’07 collection at the first exclusive Zapp! store in Kochi.

At the inauguration, Mr. Singhania said Zapp! would redefine the kids wear market.

The brand launch was followed by a fashion show with kids walking the ramp.

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