Prashant Bapna

One of the most tangible ways to create impact is by closing the gap between skills and employability. With 14+ new VLCC School of Beauty institutes, our footprint grows to 106+ centres; scaling an industry-first promise of 100% placement for eligible students, backed by scholarships of up to 100%. This is an ecosystem designed to enable confidence, financial independence, and entrepreneurship, especially for youth and women in Tier 2 and Tier 3 towns where opportunities are often limited. Over the years, VLCC School Of Beauty has trained over 1 lakh professionals, and with our expansion, we are reinforcing our role as a key partner in India’s skilling and vocational mission. Proud of the team driving this initiative and building not just institutes, but meaningful career pathways that support an #AtmanirbharBharat.

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What DMart - Avenue Supermarts Ltd announced yesterday is unprecedented, given their history of slow expansion. India's biggest value retailer, known for its calibrated, cluster-based expansion strategy, is now set to accelerate its growth by opening more stores than its usual pace. They plan to double down on expansion now. In their annual call, Neville Noronha confirmed that over the next 6 to 8 months, he would personally be focusing his time on expansion in India’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, which is a new cluster market for them with huge potential. He also admitted that if there’s one thing he could have done better during his tenure, it would have been increasing the store count to around 600–650 by now, compared to 426 today. This will now be the key focus area for the incoming CEO, Anshul Asawa, who emphasized that the business needs to scale across more geographies. From an investor’s perspective, this shift brings fresh energy and could accelerate the path to greater value creation for shareholders. At Finding Outperformers, we recently turned positive on the stock from a medium- to long-term perspective. Market may have overestimated the impact of Q-commerce on its business model, while value retail continues to be a large, untapped opportunity. Read our full thesis in the blog posts shared in the comments below⬇️ (do own research before investing)

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Kriti Sanon built a ₹100 crore skincare brand in 12 months without a single physical store. While filming during lockdown, she spent nights researching skincare ingredients. The engineer in her spotted a problem worth solving - why did healthy skin require 10 different bottles with overlapping ingredients? She partnered with PEP Technologies (mCaffeine's parent) to launch HYPHEN in July 2023 with co-founders Vaishali Gupta and Tarun Sharma. Also, Kriti became her brand's first tester. Midnight feedback sessions. Personal ingredient research. No delegating quality control. The brand hit ₹100 crore revenue by its first anniversary [CNBC-TV18]. Here are the 3 counterintuitive decisions that built this rocket ship: 📌 First, she rejected the celebrity pricing playbook. Products start at ₹449, not ₹4,000 [NDTV]. While others chase prestige buyers, she targeted her "10-year-old self in Patparganj." 📌 Second, she solved complexity, not symptoms. Each product addresses multiple concerns. Their SPF 50 sunscreen combines ceramides, vitamin C, and kojic acid. Customers buy fewer products but see better results. 📌 Third, she chose control over convenience. Bypassing traditional retail, Hyphen went D2C-first, reaching 14,000 PIN codes directly. This decision delivered 60-70% repeat rates [CNBC-TV18]. The market validated every decision. 📍Within nine months, they captured double-digit market share in lip balms.  📍Generated nearly 1 billion impressions.  📍Maintained 4.5/5 ratings across products [CNBC-TV18]. 📍Now targeting ₹500 crore by 2027 [CNBC-TV18]. While competitors outsourced testing to labs and panels, Kriti became Hyphen's first tester. Midnight feedback messages. All co-founders personally testing every formulation In an industry where celebrities simply license their names, she turned founder involvement into product quality. This isn't just about skincare. I see the same pattern everywhere. The restaurant owner eats every dish before serving.  The software founder who uses their product daily. When founders become real users, they don't just spot problems faster. They build solutions that create customers who stay because the product actually works. Have you tried Hypen products?

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How India’s apparel workforce must evolve — not just in skills, but in mindset, metrics and retention. In the second part of my interview with texfash.com, I shared perspectives on what it will take for India’s factories to compete globally — not by producing more, but by being smarter, more adaptive, and more responsible. Key themes we explored: - Workforce planning must begin before machines arrive. Phased hiring, induction training, and a caring culture are foundational. - Commercial awareness cannot remain limited to merchandisers. Every function — from design to dispatch — must align with market realities. - Retention goes beyond pay. Growth pathways, recognition, community integration, and workplace culture are equally critical. - Future competencies such as digital fluency, operational agility, and ESG/inclusivity will soon be non-negotiable. India’s apparel sector is no longer just building factories — we’re building futures. A globally respected, sustainable, and resilient manufacturing ecosystem will emerge only if we invest in people, culture and purpose, not just processes. You can read Part 2 of the interview here: https://lnkd.in/gK8Xd2Jt Groyyo Groyyo Consulting Subir Ghosh #ManagementConsulting #Consultant #ApparelIndustry #GarmentManufacturing #Skills #Upskilling #LNOD #Leadership #Competitiveness #India #Bangladesh #Vietnam

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Two years ago, Apple Lifestyle Industries Ltd. introduced a game-changing innovation in the Indian textile industry — Position Print technology. This breakthrough allowed us to place artwork with precision on sarees, creating more elegant, structured, and fashion-forward drapes. To mark this revolutionary step, we proudly launched a series of 51 catalogues, each representing the perfect blend of creativity, craftsmanship, and clarity in print placement. Today, Position Print is not just a technique — it's a statement of design excellence that has reshaped modern ethnicwear. 📍Recently at Kolkata, we showcased this journey once again — and the response was nothing short of inspiring! #AppleLifestyle #PositionPrint #TextileInnovation #CatalogueLaunch #IndianSarees #DesignWithPurpose #FromSuratToIndia #SareeRevolution #HeritageMeetsModern

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Old Stitch vs New Stitch : The Fashion Retail Face-Off.... on a lighter note ! Once upon a time in the bustling malls of Mumbai or the high streets of Cannaught Place, stood a fashion retailer who knew his customer like he knew his morning coffee ...strong, loyal, and predictable. Enter the Gen Z retailer.... hoodie on, TikTok open, and ready to disrupt “the system” before brunch bro. Let’s be honest: the battle isn’t about style it’s about survival. The experienced fashion retailer has weathered recessions, denim explosions, and even the rise and fall of cargo pants (twice). They believe in product margins, supply chain hygiene, and customers who walk into stores. They trust in footfall the way Gen Z trusts in "engagement." They still think a CRM is something that helps build loyalty not just a popup on a website. On the other hand, the Gen Z retailer doesn’t even own a cash register. Their store? A swipe-up story. Their model? Drop culture meets influencer hype. They sell out before legacy retailers finish aligning their assortment plan. But ask them about return rates, last-mile costs, or inventory holding and you might at times get a blank stare followed by “Let me check with my growth hacker bro.” The experienced retailer wins on scale, process, and predictability. The Gen Z-er wins on agility, noise, and memes. One builds brands. The other builds communities. But both are now in the same playground trying to win the same fashion-forward, budget-aware, short-attention-span consumer. In the end, the smartest player may not be the oldest or the trendiest but the one who learns fastest, fails cheapest, and adapts quickest. That’s fashion Darwinism, darling. So, who wins? The jury’s out.... But the runway is open. #RetailWars #FashionFaceOff #OldSchoolVsNewGen #RetailHumour #FashionBusiness

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