Ximivogue
Where the thesis was formed, spotting impulse-buying behaviour early, partnering to bring a global lifestyle format to Gujarat.
The chapter that
started everything.
Ximivogue is where my consumer-brand thesis was formed. After observing emerging trends and impulse-buying behaviour in global fast-fashion lifestyle formats, I acted on the insight and partnered to bring XIMI VOGUE to Gujarat.
Between August 2018 and June 2021, I led the setup and operations of two flagship stores, ~1400 sq ft each in Vadodara and Surat. Built from the ground up: market research, brand onboarding, international sourcing from China, franchise execution, store ops, and the disciplined merchandising work that turns curiosity-driven shoppers into recurring conversion.
Beyond the operating numbers, this is where I learned the muscles I’d later use to build Candy Floss, consumer psychology, value-driven retail positioning, visual merchandising, import pricing and forex impact, unit economics (COGS, CM1/CM2), and the merchandising discipline that comes from analysing sales by category, price point, segment, and seasonality.
What it taught me.
Built from the ground up
Market research, brand onboarding, international sourcing from China, and franchise execution, the full setup of two flagship stores in Vadodara (Aug 2018) and Surat (Nov 2018).
Consumer psychology
Developed deep understanding of consumer psychology, impulse-buying patterns, and value-driven retail positioning, the foundational thesis that would later shape Candy Floss.
Visual merchandising
Led VM strategy, store layout, eye-level placement, category mix, window and island displays, engineered to maximise conversions in a high-traffic lifestyle format.
Data-driven merchandising
Analysed sales by category, price point, customer segment, and seasonality to optimise assortment and reduce dead stock, building the muscle of merchandising as a measurable discipline.
Retail operations
End-to-end retail ops: hiring, training, SOPs, inventory control, audits, store performance, plus the systems work of evaluating and implementing POS, ERP, and CRM aligned with operational and reporting needs.
Import economics
Built strong understanding of import pricing, forex impact, and unit economics (COGS, CM1/CM2), the kind of operating knowledge that would later inform the pivot to domestic vendor networks during COVID.
Customer retention & B2B
Executed customer retention programs, influencer marketing, and local growth initiatives. Explored corporate gifting and B2B sales channels, building bulk-order strategies alongside core retail.
Expansion decisions
Led store expansion decisions including site selection, high street vs. mall analysis, and lease negotiations, the early reps that would later play out at greater scale.
Early ability to spot scalable retail trends and translate consumer-behaviour insights into on-ground execution, a category-driven business with strong focus on merchandising, customer experience, and operational efficiency.