An ever-growing family, A One has been on a growth curve since their inception. Growing slow and steady through a vision and a lot of business insight, A One has been nurturing positivity at every step and has garnered the required business ground in Surat, Gujarat.
Two young and energetic entrepreneur Gopal Sheladiya and Vipul Savaliya, began their journey with TAPOBHUMI DISTRIBUTORSHIP at Varachha, Surat. TAPOBHUMI began providing Ayurvedic products as a solution to lifestyle problems of customers. The venture is still going strong. In fact within a span of a few years this distributorship plan had reached great heights in the market and was able to develop a brand image for the company. It took the owners almost 8 years of rigorous hard work and patience to establish a strong brand identity for themselves.
“YOUR TRUST is our motto and we deliver the products and also provide services to our customers and suppliers alike in a very smooth and efficient form,” commented Gopal Sheladiya, Owner.
With a thorough understanding of the customer needs, Gopal and Vipul ensures that customers are always attended to in their comfort zone. Ensuring the same they enable easy return and exchange policy on all products at all time and provide focus on customer retention and goodwill all the time.
Understanding customers
The customer sense and sensibility has evolved a lot over the years. Unlike a few years back, people are more aware of what they want today and there is certainly more ask for the right thing and the suitable fit. Considering that women are the homemakers and are generally the ones who take care of the wants of their family, Gopal Sheladiya mentions that the lingerie decisions or underwear decisions are generally taken by them only.
“Men visit the stores for underwear but compared to women they are still lesser in count. But definitely the footfall of men in the stores is much better as what it was few years back. Even though men-women ration is 40:60, but we still feel a lot has evolved over the years to give way to the present footfalls,” explained Vipul Savaliya.
Understanding the customer psyche has allowed for a successful existence for the brand over the years and the stores have been styled with spacious interiors and better brand visibility, to tune the same along the lines of customer preferences.
The stores are well tuned for self help and one can shop on their own too in case they don’t want anyone to interfere or prefer their own privacy. To maintain the family flavour the stores are styled with airy interiors and the story behind each store goes back to the deeper understanding that the both of them commands. They have invested years of experience and business knack to the trade and have crafted this steady personality for the brand through the years.
“We started our business with few categories and products years back, we did this after closely analysing the customer trends and the ongoing demands. After some years we learnt and carefully took on the road to fashion, which is also a fast changing factor and enthusiastically analysing the demands of the young customers we shifted our focus on the lingerie and innerwear side of the fashion story. Right now we cater to all the age groups by giving a special focus to every segment including Ladies, gents and Kids alike,” commented Vipul Savaliya.
The store
What began 12 years back as a distributorship business gave way to A-One Perfume and Novelty in Surat, Gujarat. The new store unlike the previous ones have been singularly named as A-One Retail. Apart from this new store Gopal and Vipul is also the proud owner of 7 other Stores and 1 Franchise store in Surat. The first store was inaugurated in Panvel Point, Mota Varachha followed by stores in Hirabaug, Kalakunj, Nana Varachha Chowpati, Gajera Circle, Katargam and Galani Park, Singanapore, Katargam and Avadha Viceroy, Sarthana Jakatnaka, Varachha Road.
The new store at Varachha Road is well equipped with all retail facilities and houses brands from the local market as well as International brands from across seas. This store adds a touch of sophistication and is uniquely structured to suit the trending tastes of both the youth and the connoisseurs. The look of the Store is very upmarket and will transform you to the European alleys. With the store front attracting every pedestrian right at the moment they walk past the store, the retail outlet is very attractive and will appeal every passerby. This street smart vision and outlook of the retail outlet connects it to all types of customers from Varachha, Kamrej, Surat and near by villages as well, for whom the store sets its own aspiration value. A-One Retail, the new inclusion in the A-One family is truly the Premium stop for intimate wear in Surat.
Having begun with a decent 135 sq. ft. the two of them slowly understood the need of the hour and expanded steadily to a 500 sq. ft. store at Panvel Point. The new Varachha Road store is 550 sq ft., while their largest store is 700 sq ft.
Well equipped with 25 Full time Employees and 15 Part time Employees, the A-One team is big and the family is going strong with a total of 40 members today. The effort towards employing the best staff provide their best effort for customer satisfaction. All their stores are also well regulated and is built in with one-two trial rooms. The new store has been extensively built in an open format and is housed with 5 salesmen for proper functioning.
The collections at the store and the decor keeps changing on the basis of seasonal and promotional requirements. Bra, Panty, Camisoles & Sets specific to different requirements like day long / sports / fancy / bridal etc or specific range for beginners and maternity use are available in galore at A-One. Apart from the variety in lingerie and nightwear, the customers will never get disappointed if they step into the outlet. There is a huge range of categories to pick and choose from and there is an even bigger range of brands to shop for when it comes to filling your cart at A-One Retail.
Other than the seasonal variety and the regular stocks the store retails brands like Sonari, Little Lacy, Alies, Sherry, Lavian, Dazzle, Extra Light and trylo. The category wise brands available in the shop include: Nightwear – Sonari, SDL, Valentine and Oh baby. Under Garment – Jockey, CK. UCB, Zoiro, Bodycare, US Polo, Levi’s and Perfumes – Titan, Fogg, Empar, Ferrari, Hugo Boss, Addidas, Ck etc.
A strong customer connect
Post the first store opening, that takes dates back to 2004, Gopal and Vipul had always put their best foot forward just to connect better with their customers and make them aware of the intimate apparel and what to demand in the category. Ruling Surat with much prowess have brought them closer to the people and have helped them create an instant connect with every age group and target group quite charmingly.
” We are in this business since the last 12 years and we almost know about the taste of the customers. As such we are a part of the ‘FASHION’ segment as a whole and, thereby we have to deliver something different and new each time to the customers. Our effort is thus always towards doing a survey of the market elaborately, categories wise. Some of the products we display are GO GREEN, which are an instant hit with everyone, irrespective of the season we are market the same. Apart from these exclusive pieces, some of the products are trend based, which alters through seasons and ongoing style trends. And then there are those styles/products that are always in demand and highly iconic in their own respect. So we stock it all. No one can enter our shop and get away by not getting satisfied. This is our customer commitment,” commented a confident Gopal Sheladiya.
Keeping up with this thought and with an interest to get closer to the customers at every step, A-One also has an unique return policy. A commitment to exchange any product that the customer does not like and want to return. An unquestionable return policy sets the stage ahead for the company and they have been ruling the dais with this confidence since inception. Not only do they exchange products with other products but offer a cash return to the customers in case they are not happy with their buy. This certainly is a new trend they have set in the retail space for intimate apparel. Apart from that another new policy they have brought into action is that of providing lingerie in easy instalments. With a small tie up with Bajaj Finance they are now ready to make your shopping experience at A-One smoother by allowing you to take home what you shop without paying any cash and just at a swipe of the Bajaj Finance card. This is indeed an unique beginning by any retailer of the lingerie industry.
Ruling with confidence
Lingerie-scape has been an evolving arena for a few years now. And as more and more consumers are gaining confidence with themselves and are getting choosy about what they wear beneath their clothes, it becomes an even more important aspect to help them take an assisted decision for their lingerie wardrobe.
A-One has been understanding the evolving tastes of the Surat market quite closely for years and have analysed the demands of every generation to stock up the best and the most cost effective in their stores. The new store is an effort to add a more promising touch to this promise.
Even though the online market is altering the future of the brick and mortar stores , but still both of them are confident that people are more conscious today and will only pay for originals. The more the market is growing the worse it has become in terms of fakes. To cut away from this trend, the well stocked up retail outlets like A-One will be more in demand in the time to come.
Store is already exposed to review report in asia.