Instilling ownership in every team member is a challenge: Sarabjeet Saluja of Saundh

Sarabjeet Saluja, founder and chief executive officer of fashion brand, Saundh speaks about the challenges he faces and his ambitions for the brand

Mumbai: Sarabjeet Saluja started his women’s wear brand Saundh in 2019, after having learnt the ins and outs of the textile industry from his family business, which he joined in 2010.

Saundh’s first physical retail store opened at Peddar Road in Mumbai. Inspired by his late father, Kuldeep Singh Saluja, Sarabjeet Saluja, (a.k.a Sabby) aims to make Saundh the biggest ethnic retail brand, globally.

I enjoy being in retail because: Retail is an exciting space to be a part of. Every day is different. Each day brings forward new people, a new chapter to explore, allowing new learnings and challenges. Retail also allows us to explore the D2C advantage, allowing us as a brand to provide more value and our customers to receive instant feedback on Saundh.

The biggest professional challenge I face is: As Saundh is growing, our teams are growing too. Instilling ownership in every team member is a challenge I face. From newcomers who are still learning to navigate Saundh, to veterans who know the brand, I am enthused to see my team grow with a sense of responsibility that lets them have control over their own work and environment and gets them excited about the work they produce.

To achieve its full potential, Indian retailers must: Focus on customer experience in the retail sector in India. To achieve its full potential, the brand story beyond products must be delivered to customers. In saying that, a good product, delivered at the right time after understanding customer demands makes a complete package. It is also essential to continue to evolve and keep updated with ever-changing consumer demands, which Saundh aims to perfect with the help of end-to-end technology in the near future.

My key professional accomplishments are: My checklist of accomplishments is never complete. The moment I cross one milestone or check off a goal on my list, I have a slew of other accomplishments to pursue. The instant I say that I have successfully achieved all my professional accomplishments is the day that I will retire.

Plans for the brand: From the current 25 stores, we intend to scale up to 50 stores in the next two years with a projected turnover of more than Rs 200 crore. We aim to have 2-3 flagship stores in metropolitan cities and look forward to housing new categories such as menswear, kidswear and accessories including shoes and jewellery.

In the next six months, we will open 10 new stores, along with our first flagship store in Mumbai or Bengaluru. We are also launching our Fall Winter 2023 collection and a new vertical of menswear.