Sanjiv Goenka and son Shashwat are welcoming and warm. They smile and laugh a lot and it was no different when t2 dropped by at their CESC House office. There was an added twinkle to the grin though! t2 found out it was for a reason merry enough!
Congratulations! You just signed Virat Kohli as the Too Yumm! brand ambassador…
Sanjiv: We announced Too Yumm! in June. It’s been about six-and-half-months since the announcement. It actually went into the markets say in July. We are now at 50,000 outlets across 16 cities. By March, we’ll be at 1.5 lakh outlets. That’s a huge big first step. The products have been very well appreciated… Veggie Stix, Foxnuts, Wheat Thins… huge repeat demands, huge traction across age brackets.
With the expectation that with stocking in more outlets over the next three months, we expect the sales to go up significantly. In the meanwhile, we did this acquisition called E-Vita. It’s all snacks at five rupees. Too Yumm! is completely guilt-free. So, you eat as much as you want, anytime of the day… that’s our tag line… and the new tag line is…
Shashwat: Eat Lot, Fikar Not…
Sanjiv: And we were thinking that since we are going national, how do we get the consumer to notice it? We were shying away from a national campaign so far, but now we launched a campaign with Virat Kohli on Friday on television. Virat is somebody who loves these products and he has had them and enjoyed them… he has had them at my house. He is somebody who reinvents the bar every time. We do believe that we are reinventing the bar of snacking. It’s the first time any national snacking product is being launched within the guilt-free platform. It’s healthy but delicious. And Virat is somebody who stands for all these things. It’s a simple film. It shows him bingeing on these products through the day. And there are people who are feeling jealous that he is eating so much and yet is so fit.
When did you think of getting Virat Kohli on board?
Shashwat: We approached him about three months ago….
Sanjiv: When we approached him, he was more than happy. Then there is this gentleman called Anupam Mishra who directs these ad films… he directed the film. We shot it on November 12.
And there is no one quite like him at the moment?
Sanjiv: There is no one like Virat! He is somebody who is fit and aggressive, exemplifies Indian youth, is aspirational, reinvents himself and the Indian cricket team ever so often.
You’ve known Virat Kohli for a while now. How has he evolved over the years?
Sanjiv: Virat emerges everyday as a player, a leader, a person… the more you get to know him, the more you like him. He is very simple, driven, focused… how he has taken control of it himself. I have seen the kind of discipline he follows, the kind of control he follows and to now have extended that culture to the Indian cricket team.... I think Virat is an inspiration for millions of Indian youth who see in him their icon. So, to me Virat is a friend, of course, but more importantly he is a leader. He is a man who redefines standards and performances on a regular basis, which is what we are hoping to do with the snacking industry.
What about you, Shashwat?
Shashwat: Earlier I had seen him on television… playing cricket and more as a celebrity. When you actually interact with him, it’s great to see that he is very much like any other youth in the country… fun, young and yet someone who is down to earth, despite his celebrity status. We spoke about all kinds of things.
What are your wishes for Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma?
Sanjiv: We wish them loads and loads of good wishes, luck and happiness together.
What stayed with you about Anushka Sharma?
Sanjiv: Her humility. She is sharp, bright… her mind is so focused… it’s two very driven people, really simple, who are good human beings getting together….
In hindsight, how was 2017?
Sanjiv: Very good. Very satisfied with the way it has gone. IPL went off very well. In ISL we haven’t had a great beginning, but it is a long tournament. I think the team is looking good. I was at the practice yesterday and the morale seemed very positive. Robbie (Keane) is back, Ashutosh (Mehta) is back, Jayesh (Dilip Rane) will be back, Shankar (Sampingiraj) is back. Ryan Taylor has now come in.
Quest has gone extremely well. Hugo Boss has opened to a grand reception… so has Paul & Shark. I think Quest is a perfect example of constant reinvention and how you redefine and raise the standards to meet increasing customer expectations on a regular basis. The Loft (the multi-utility space — helmed by daughter-in-law Shivika — on the sixth floor of the Syed Amir Ali Avenue mall) has done so well. It’s become an independent address in Calcutta.
Shashwat?
Shashwat: I think it’s been a good year… lot of changes at Spencer’s.
And your stint as the ICC president?
Shashwat: Very fulfilling and a great learning experience.
Are you going to dad more now?
Sanjiv: Less! Much less! (Smiles) And, poor wife! (Laughs) Going to her less is bad… going to me less is good. Shashwat is much more comfortable about big business decisions.
Shashwat, till date, what is one thing for which you still go to your dad?
Sanjiv: Dealing with the older RP-SG team! (Laughs out loud)
What’s coming up in 2018?
Sanjiv: Too Yumm! will see a lot more products being launched. By March we’ll be at the beat rate of 300 crore a year. We are growing at about 15-20 per cent month on month. Quest of course… exciting things!
South City Mall is coming up in a big way…
Sanjiv: Good! Very selfishly I am delighted because South City is a great mall… it’ll be brilliant from a Spencer’s perspective when it reopens because that is Spencer’s highest-selling store and more the footfall, the better for us….
What is the one thing you want Shashwat to do in the coming year?
Sanjiv: In life or work?
Both!
Sanjiv: Have a baby!
Shashwat?!
Shashwat: (Shakes his head) Too soon!
What is the one thing you want your dad to do?
Shashwat: Have more fun! (Smiles)
