It Happened in India -The story of Pantaloons, Big Bazaar, Central and the great Indian Consumer by Kishore Biyani with Dipayan Baishya

 

It happened in India- The story of Pantaloons, Big Bazaar, Central and the great Indian Consumer by Kishore Biyani with Dipayan Baishya : Book Review

For any one growing up in the 90’s and the 2000’s, Pantaloons and Big Bazaar would almost be like an emotional memory of two forms of shopping, daily groceries shopping and the big haul of wearables. “It happened in India- The story of Pantaloons, Big Bazaar, Central and the great Indian Consumer” by Kishore Biyani with Dipayan Baishya is an insightful read to understand the entire work and dynamics that went behind building this emotional memory.

The book is a trademark style business narrative almost taking the form of a quick and summarized autobiography in the initial chapters and then slowly moving towards the key purpose of the book, that is narrating the journey of the formation of the tall brands that once was the key part of the homes of the Indian consumers.

The book starts on an interesting note with a chapter in which various voices from the industry chalk out the impact Mr Kishore Biyani and his brands has had on the consumers. There are mentions of case studies done by foreign universities on the rise of the brands and how these were built by the founders.

The next part “Built from scratch” concentrates on the background of the founder and his family. This section is equally interesting that gives a good detailed glimpse of the life of Mr. Kishore Biyani before the world knew him. It’s the story of the common man and it goes about the showing that nothing is impossible. This would also be a chapter where the reader would come across Mr Biyani’s initial foray into entrepreneurship during his growing up and college years. The entire Dandiya (a festival held in India) during the Dussehra, chapter is an absolute banger that would showcase the skills of a future entrepreneur. The Idea and concept of foray into the Stonewash Jeans:” line was equally interesting to learn.

This part would establish the basic foundation for Mr Biyani as he would come across various insightful challenges and exposure in business and management through his father’s office and some of his own attempts in business. The young minds would surely enjoy this section and it showcases how young minds can approach their quest for entrepreneurship and business.

The next part” Defying the odds” concentrates on the founder’s journey on establishing a company that would eventually go on to become Pantaloons fashion. This part involves a whole lot business management and investment related concepts all very well narrated and linked to the story. The journey from formation of a private company to the initial public offer in encouraging, detailed and full of learnings. For someone reading this book in the current years, it is almost like learning how business was done in the early and mid- 90’s.

The subsequent chapter concentrates on the opening of the first Pantaloon fashion store in Kolkata and it’s a great lesson in marketing and placing of a product. This section will show case all the decision and discussions on permutation and combinations that went into the decision of opening the first big Pantaloon store.

The next part of the book concentrates on the formation of a brand that went on to define the behavior of the Indian consumers for the subsequent decades. The chapters on the formation of Big Bazaar and subsequently on the formation of Central is just more than text book learning, it is learning on the floor and reading through the various events, decisions and complexities in the formation and opening of these brands will give the reader great insights into business and consumer management.

What really captures the essence of entrepreneurship in between these chapters are some wisdom thoughts provided by Mr Biyani himself.

There is a chapter that showcases the journey of the founder in film production. This section very briefly but impactfully shows why they didn’t continue with film production after the initial projects.

The book has a collection of some photographs taken of the brands and the stores. Going through these in the current times almost evokes the nostalgic trips that once was made through these stores.

The subsequent chapters concentrate on wisdom and business lessons from the founder himself. These are great retail business and retail management learning as one goes through the narration. Another impactful part of this book – is the testimonials from a plethora of people who were once part of the group. These testimonials give a good understanding of the group and the business culture of the brands and the founder himself.

The book was published in the year 2007 but reading the book in the current times has the same impact as it would have been back then in the mid 2000’s. The basic concepts and learnings from the book remain intact and relevant even today. “It Happened in India” – The Story of Pantaloons, Big Bazaar, Central and the great Indian consumer is a wonderful read that would add value to one’s knowledge on Retail business and management straight from the mind of a founder.