What began as amodest three-manoperation en-

gaged in reconditioning ofrefrigerators and air condi-tioners back in 1943 hascome a long way. With an an-nual turnover of over Rs3000 crores, a network of 35offices, 5 modern manufac-turing facilities, 2500 em-ployees, 2200 dealers and 500retailers, the numbers don'tlie. Blue Star has grownfrom strength to strength tobecome India's leading airconditioning and commer-cial refrigeration company.

Only 75 companies listedon the Indian stock ex-changes having a turnoverin excess of 1000 crores aremore than 70 years old andBlue Star is one amongstthem. While the Companyhas witnessed several chal-lenging times in its history,it has time and againdemonstrated an uncannyability of adapting to thedynamic external environ-ment and emerging success-ful. In the process, it hasrecorded an impressivegrowth rate that has seenthe company double itsturnover every 4 years.

Blue Star products distin-guish themselves with ener-gy-efficient technology anda host of distinctive fea-tures that are backed by ro-bust research anddevelopment. Itsvalue proposi-

tion of "Nobody CoolsBetter" is a testimony to theCompany's cooling expert-ise over the decades.

Blue Star's commitmentto provide a world-class cus-tomer experience - apartfrom remaining an organi-sation that is a pleasure todo business with - is unflag-ging. It also ensures highstandards of corporate gov-ernance and is dedicated tobeing a good corporate citi-zen. Blue Star has been in-vesting extensively in itsR&D capabilities and manu-facturing base and is a pio-

neer in the 'Make in India'story that has now becomequite in vogue today!

The Company has set upan 'Emerging Technologies'cell to work on bringingvariable speed technologyto all with the products andto experiment with new re-frigerants to address envi-ronmental concerns. BlueStar's technical capabilitiesare recognised by variouspolicy making departmentsin the Government of India,and the Company plays asignificant role in develop-ing standards for energy ef-ficiency, safety and in repre-senting the industry invarious national and inter-national forums.

While Blue Star strives tobe the best corporate brandit can be, it is heartening to

see that the Company goesbeyond the usual and triesto be a warm, accessible andcaring brand which is si-multaneously responsivebecause of its insight andsensitivity to customer con-cerns. It remains modernand youthful, embracingtransformation in the bestspirit of growth, reliabilityand commitment.

It is estimated that almosta third of all corporate andcommercial buildings in thecountry have a Blue Starproduct installed, whichgoes some way towards de-scribing the impact thisbrand has had. This can per-haps be attributed to BlueStar's integrated businessmodel, which sees them of-fer Manufacturer;Engineering, Procurement,Construction (EPC) solu-tions and after-sales serviceprovider. This enables theCompany to offer end-to-endsolutions to its customers, afact that has proven to be asignificant differentiatorfor the brand. In the electromechanical projects busi-ness, the Company has suc-cessfully migrated from be-ing a HVAC contractor tobeing a full services MEP(mechanical, electrical,plumbing) contractor, build-ing its capabilities in a sys-tematic way.

Furthermore, Blue Starventured into the residen-tial segment in 2011 and hasmade deep inroads in thesegment with a marketshare of over 10%. This hasbeen one of the most suc-cessful forays in recentyears for the Companywhich highlights that BlueStar enjoys a strong brandimage not only amongst cor-porate and commercial cus-tomers but also residentialcustomers.

For more than half a cen-tury now, Blue Star hashelped keep India cool un-der the collar, and this is one

brand that will keep onhelping everyone tobeat the heat.

Eureka Forbes seeksto bring happy,healthy, safe and pol-

lution-free living to cus-tomers through lasting re-lationships, creating'Friends for Life'. In a sense,the direct selling model ofEureka Forbes Limited(EFL) has enabled this mod-el.

In direct selling, a sales-person has the advantage ofdirect engagement withcustomers and tailoringdemonstrations to makethem suitable for customerneeds. Customers can cometo the salesperson withtheir queries and problems;a relationship is built in theprocess of interaction. Thisstrategy does not merely

sell a product; it sells a liv-ing solution, an idea. Theseinteractions give deeper in-sights into their needs andhelp further fine tune theproduct to fit in line withevolving customer needs.Over and above the internalfeedback system, EFL alsoundertakes various re-search programs across thecountry to understand dif-ferent needs of differentsets of customers.

The brand has come along way from being the pi-oneers in direct selling inIndia, to being rated as thebest employer and to top itall, a case study at Harvard.It followed the globally'tried and tested' direct sell-ing route for marketingproducts in India, thus be-coming one of the first di-rect selling companies inIndia. When Eureka Forbesstarted out, it was a 100 percent direct sales company.And most importantly, evennow it is a direct sales com-pany at heart. Direct salesrequires a lot of passion, re-lationship building. This re-mains the core philosophywhich extends to retail, e-commerce, franchising orinstitutional.

Eureka Forbes looks atAquaguard as 'Tried.Tested. Trusted.' Trusted by15 million consumers.Moreover, in over 33 years ofexistence, Eureka Forbeshas invested heavily in re-search and technology tounderstand customer needs

and customize solutionsand products to suit everywater condition in India.Aquaguard is the only wa-ter purifier in the countryto develop 17 water purifi-cation technologies to com-bat 17 different water condi-tions across India.Aquaguard has strategic al-liances and technologypartnerships with leadingassociations such as WAT-SECO and Waterlogic tomake technologically ad-vanced and never-seen-be-fore products. No one in ourcategory covers India aswell as we do in terms ofour customer service andreach. 80% of our cus-tomers are within a 5 km ra-dius of where we are.

Over the years, the keypurpose has been to educatepeople about the quality oftheir drinking water and in-form them about how thecommunication has movedfrom merely pure and safeto healthy drinking water.As part of its strategy,Eureka Fobres has been ex-perimenting with new mar-keting models and offeringtechnologically advancedand ground-breaking prod-ucts through innovativeconsumer-centric cam-paigns to meet changingconsumer demands.

EFL envisages a worldwhere every human beinghas access to safe & healthydrinking water. The globalwater crisis takes lives ofmore than 14,000 peopleeach day, 11,000 of themchildren under age 5.Women and girls spendmore than 200 million hoursevery day walking to collectwater from distant, oftenpolluted source. To addressthese issues, EFL workswith people, corporates,NGOs and likeminded part-ners in order to stimulatepolitical attention, publicaction, and personal com-mitment to environmentalpreservation and providingpotable water to mankind.This led us to embark on aninitiative to set up commu-nity water plants in ruralIndia.

There are severe issueswith the drinking waterquality in several pockets of

India. For example, an ex-cess of fluoride gives rise todiseases such as fluorosis, acrippling disease which of-ten leads to severe bone de-formities, damage to teethand bones have been on theuprising. Young children,manual and farm laborers,pregnant women and lactat-ing mothers are especiallyvulnerable to such diseases.To address the problem offluoride in drinking waterand shortage of electricity,Eureka Forbes togetherwith World Vision, TrunzWater Systems and EleaFoundation, developed astate-of-the-art solar pow-ered water purificationplant in Unnao.

Rural communities often

lack the income to inde-pendently reduce or elimi-nate water-related diseasesthat have been afflictingthem for generations, butthe community's involve-ment in this initiative hasprovided an avenue to ad-dress these issues.Moreover, these success sto-ries have inspired othercommunities to becomemore involved in similarprojects.

Currently, diseases likeDiarrhoea claim the life of achild every 2 minutes,safe drinking water seemslike a distant dream.Unfortunately, as a country,India stands 120th in the listof 122 countries rated on thepoor quality of drinkingwater. Due to the lack ofsafe drinking water, over 38million Indians suffer fromwater borne diseases andover 60% of the hospitalbeds continue to be occu-pied by people affected withDengue, Diarrhoea, etc.Thus the need of the hour isthat every citizen should getaccess to safe drinking wa-ter.

Safe drinking water is anabsolute necessity not asluxury. The larger vision ofEureka Forbes Limited is toreach out to various parts ofthe country, be it a small vil-lage or an urban slum,where water quality may beunchecked or highly con-taminated, because every-one has a right to cleandrinking water.

EXPERT SPEAK

Customers are at theheart of everythingwe do and our relent-less focus on funda-mentals of integrity,commitment to per-formance and innova-tion has helped usearn the trust of cus-tomers, as we partnerwith them in fulfillingtheir dreams of own-

ing a home of their own.

HARSHIL MEHTA, CEO, DHFL

As a brand we havealways tried to usethese consumer in-sights to developproducts with tech-nologies that areahead of their time.When it comes tocommunication, weensure that we arepresent wherever ourconsumers are, and

that we engage them in a continuous dialogue.Awards like these only propel us to continuebettering the brand experience for our con-sumers through best in class offerings.

SWATI RATHI, Head of Marketing andSenior General Manager, Godrej Appliances

“As part of RelianceGroup, we have inher-ited a strong legacy oftrust and relationshipwith our customersand are constantlyworking towardsstrengthening thispartnership with com-mitment and perform-ance. We will continueto provide financial se-

curity and focus on wealth creation for our cus-tomers across all our businesses”

SAM GHOSH, ED and Group CEO,Reliance Capital

“In the past 70 years,Amul has won thefaith of millions ofconsumers by givingbest quality dairyproducts, made out ofbest ingredients. Peo-ple know that whenthey buy Amul prod-ucts, they will becharged reasonably,will be given best

quality products made using best technologyfor packaging. It is a premium product foreverybody.”

R S SODHI, Managing Director, GCMMF Ltd (Amul)

We at Societe Gen-erale embody the val-ues of team spirit,commitment, innova-tion and responsibili-ty, individually andcollectively, and thatreflects in our per-sistent focus towardsensuring that ourclients achieve theirbusiness ambitions.

EVELYNE COLLIN, Chief Executive& Chief Country Officer, Societe Generale

“Through its journeyspanning traditionalmulti-brand retail to itsown exclusive formats,Madura Fashion &Lifestyle (MF&L) pio-neered the branded ap-parel retail landscapein the country. MF&Lcontinues to excite itsconsumers with newage fashion inspira-

tions, bringing smiles to thousands of consumersdaily.”

ASHISH DIKSHIT, Business Head -Madura Fashion & Lifestyle, Aditya BirlaFashion and Retail Limited.

“Since inception,YES BANK has estab-lished itself as a trulydifferentiated Finan-cial Brand with astrong focus on themission critical pil-lars of Quality drivenGrowth, Innovationand ResponsibleBanking. We contin-ue to evolve into a

DIGITAL bank with an uncompromising vi-sion of Building the Finest Quality Bank of theWorld in India by 2020”

RANA KAPOOR, MD & CEO, YES Bank

Eureka Forbes Limited’s mission is as clear as it isenormous; to ensure clean water for every Indian citizen

The journey of a thousand miles beginswith a single step, and the pioneeringstory of Madura Fashion & Lifestyle

can be traced back to the U.K., when it was afaction of the erstwhile Coats Viyella Plc,Europe's largest clothing supplier. MaduraF&L was acquired by the Aditya Birla Groupin 1999, growing to become a predominant fa-vorite in the readymade menswear industryin India. In 2000, the company became a divi-sion of Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd. Since then, thecompany has spearheaded the branded ap-parel retail revolution in India and become apremium lifestyle player in the retail sector.To unlock shareholder value, recently,Madura F&L was demerged from Aditya BirlaNuvo Limited to become part of the newly cre-ated pure-play fashion lifestyle company'Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited',India's largest branded apparel entity.

Madura F&L was the first player to operateon a national scale, dedicated to the corebusi-ness of fashion retail in India. It was also theforerunner in introducing premier interna-tional brands, enabling Indian consumers tobuy the most prestigious global fashionwearand accessories within the country. This ledMadura F&L to become the powerhouse ofthe four best-selling branded apparel brandsin India, namely Louis Philippe, Van Heusen,Allen Solly and Peter England. Today, thebrand has a presence in more than 4,000 mul-ti-brand stores and is the most preferred

brand in over 3,000 shop-in-shops (SIS) acrossdepartmental stores in the country.

Perhaps most importantly though, it was the first to have a complete end-to-end,demand-driven, manufacturing-to-retailecosystem in India comprising a unique combination of exclusive outlets and premium multi-brandstores including PlanetFashion, The Collective,Hackett London, and itsin-house online store,Trendin.com. By beingpresent at every touchpoint of the retail ecosys-tem, Madura F&L hasuniquely positioned itself to respond to thechallenge of multi-chan-nel retail that is a reality oftoday' s times.

A key part of Madura F&L's rise to promi-nence is the technological innovation thatacts as its underpinnings. It was the leader insuccessfully implementing the SAP ERP sys-tem in the retail industry, and its manufac-turing division was also the first apparel man-ufacturing unit to win India's prestigiousRamakrishna Bajaj National Quality Award.Little wonder then that today, ABFRL is thesingle largest apparel company in India ofwhich the Madura F&L business boasts of thelargest and strongest distribution network

spanning 2,000+ exclusive stores across 2.8 mnsq ft of retail space, with a presence in 4,000+multi-brand outlets, and availability in 3,000+department stores besides being widely avail-able across leading e-commerce portals.

Madura F&L has always had its finger onthe pulse of the consumer, and this can be best

seen in recent innovationsfrom the brand. An exam-ple of this is the VanHeusen Style Studio, a firstof its kind unique technol-ogy-led fashion revolutionin the country. This hashelped the brand create adistinctive mark in thefashion space. Another ex-ample of the company'sproactive style can be seenin the manner in which ithas sought to fill the gap in

the luxury lifestyle space with The Collective.A premium lifestyle store, it offers a uniqueblend of global fashion, international trendsand luxury services to customers.

In June 2013, Madura F&L adopted theSustainability motto, 'Re-Earth for our to-morrow', with the vision 'We are committedto give back more than what we take from ourecosystem', addressing various aspects relat-ed to the long-term sustainability of the busi-nesses. The three key pillars of its CSRMission focus on Girl Child Education,

Building Sustainable Livelihoods for com-munities around its factories and Health &Sanitation. It is through efforts such as thesethat the organization aims to give back to so-ciety in a sustainable and meaningful man-ner.

The company also undertakes sustain-ability missions, which include energy andwater conservation, sustainable manufac-turing and packaging, reducing carbon foot-print and waste management. Some of thetop-selling brands also actively use sustain-ability techniques in the manufacturingprocess. For instance, Louis Philippe's'Evolve' shirts are created using naturalherbal and mineral dyes and Peter England's'Oxygeans' saves approximately 80 litres ofwater per pair of jeans through indigenous-ly developed washingmethods during its pro-duction phase.

Indeed, Madura F&L plays a holistic role inthe overall development of the communitiesin which it operates. Its journey of sustain-ability encompasses not just the well-being ofthe environment, but also the socio-econom-ic welfare of the people whose lives its touch-es in the course of its activities. The organi-zation's business model has transformed overthe past decade whilst creating a robust retailnetwork comprising of the most successfulbrands in the country.

Madura F& L's endeavour to excite its con-sumers has been an enthralling story ofgrowth. For FY 14-15, the organization record-ed a turnover of Rs. 3,735 crore and has beenconsistently growing at a CAGR of approxi-mately 20% over the past 10 years. MaduraF&L's journey has been one of pro-activelypartnering the ever-evolving Indian fashionconsumer, in the process exciting them withnew age fashion. It is doubtless a success sto-ry, albeit one still in the making.

DRESSING TO IMPRESS With a vast array of prominent brands in its armory, Madura Fashion& Lifestyle has left a distinctive impression on the Indian apparel space

PPllaayyiinngg iitt ccooooll Blue Star is a name that has become synonymouswith cooling solutions, and with good reason too

Clean water for all

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