SARFARAZ ALI, CEO & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF KHULSHI MART SPEAKS ABOUT THE FOUNDATION ON WHICH THE CHATTOGRAM BASED RETAIL STORE IS BUILT ON AND ITS DILIGENCE TOWARDS IMPROVING THE COUNTRY’S STANDARD OF LIVING.
CEO & Executive Director
Khulshi Mart
PLEASE TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF.
Aside from leading the effort behind Khulshi Mart as its CEO and Executive Director, in the personal space, I’m an extrovert and outgoing by nature, and love to travel and meet people from a variety of cultures and backgrounds. Travelling, especially by myself, is something I’ve enjoyed even in my youth, and that boy-meets-world situation has come to define me as a person, I believe. I grew up in a relatively quiet Chattogram town, and through my travels I have received a world view through people, places and conversations as an education, which has helped me keep an open mind when it comes to work and life in general.
I absolutely love outdoor activities in every season, be it water sports in the summer, or skiing and snowshoeing in the winters, or skydiving over fall colours. Food also plays an important role in my travel itinerary, as it is one of my favourite means of discovering new cultures and traditions that could add colour to who I am and what I do as a person
WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION BEHIND STARTING KHULSHI MART? WHAT HAVE BEEN ITS BIGGEST STRENGTHS SINCE THE START OF ITS JOURNEY?
The main idea behind starting Khulshi Mart – 16 years ago, a bit before 2006 – was to bring consumers of all classes of Chattogram under one roof. Khulshi Mart is the one place where all consumers can enjoy shopping in a customer-friendly environment, without the hassle of being concerned about the authenticity, freshness, price, packaging and presentation of products. The founders’ thoughts were primarily to improve the living standards of the neighbourhood, and eventually the city and the nation. Their idea was to set up a truly European standard supermarket in Chattogram. In 2005, starting from flying in Dutch consultancy to Chattogram for surveying location and equipment, to picking and training the perfect team and beginning the store’s journey, no expenses were laid on the wayside. After all, there is no compromise on quality – even now, 16 years after the day of the launch.
I’d say that our key strength is that we have been able to stay aligned with the founders’ vision even to this day. The other strength is trust. Over 16 years, we have created a bond with our customers that is irreplaceable to us. Every person who steps into Khulshi Mart knows exactly what they’re going to get – world-class service for the most premium products at the best rates possible.
‘ROAD TO SUSTAINABILITY 2025’ IS OUR PLEDGE AS WE STEP INTO A NEW CHAPTER OF OUR LIVES, AND A DIRECTION FOR THE FUTURE ROADMAP FOR KHULSHI MART. WE AIM TO GIVE BACK TO A WORLD THAT HAS GIVEN US SO MUCH.
KHULSHI MART IS CELEBRATED FOR ITS ABILITY TO DELIVER PREMIUM QUALITY CONSISTENTLY. SINCE MANY ITEMS YOU OFFER ARE PERISHABLE, HOW LOGISTICALLY CHALLENGING IS IT TO KEEP UP WITH SUCH HIGH EXPECTATIONS?
Perishability is always going to be a problem that needs to be solved on a day-to-day basis by any vendor of fresh produce and groceries. Apart from the usual vetting and pruning procedures required to be followed by any and every mart-owner, Khulshi Mart stands out for being the only super shop that has its own food testing laboratory and legitimate food scientists to ensure maximum freshness and inspection of the produce we are serving on the storefront. Our neighbourhood deserves not only the best but also the safest quality check for produce that is out there in a world where it isn’t always easy to sift through adulterations. It might be logistically a hassle for others, but for us, it’s just another day at work.
THE PANDEMIC CAUSED SIGNIFICANT DISRUPTIONS ACROSS INDUSTRIES ALL OVER THE WORLD. HOW IS KHULSHI MART EVOLVING TO ENSURE UNINTERRUPTED SERVICES DESPITE FUTURE DISRUPTIONS?
There’s a famous Chinese blessing, or curse, that says, “May you live in interesting times,” and it sure has gotten interesting, and maybe not in a good way. But, together, we have successfully chartered through the worst pandemic in human history, by sticking to the strictest rules, mutual neighbourly cooperation and by helping one another in our time of desperate need. We, at Khulshi Mart, have ensured that our valued customers, our family and our neighbourhood have continued to receive everything that they could possibly need – even up to their doorstep – by successfully launching our home delivery service. We believe the most important step we took at the height of the pandemic was to provide housing, food and quality accommodation for our front-line workers that enabled them to isolate themselves in consideration of the safety of their families and loved ones. This helped us maintain an undisrupted service for our customers, and also provide continued support to our employees through the hardest of times. Together, we are traversing through, what we think, is the worst the world has to offer to humanity. Yet, there are other troubles at hand – climate change, ecological pollution, a war of opinions, and a time of inequity and chaos. Indeed, we are living in the worst-case scenario. That is more the reason why we have to stick together and work together for our own benefit. As we like to say, “It’s a neighbourhood thing.”
BESIDES PROVIDING PREMIUM QUALITY AND ONE OF THE BEST SHOPPING EXPERIENCES IN CHATTOGRAM, KHULSHI MART PRIORITISES ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY. PLEASE SHARE SOME INFORMATION ABOUT ‘ROAD TO SUSTAINABILITY 2025.’
‘Road to Sustainability 2025’ is our pledge as we step into a new chapter of our lives, and a direction for the future roadmap for Khulshi Mart. We aim to give back to a world that has given us so much. Projects such as indoor vertical farming have already been put into place, where we’re growing organic vegetables in a controlled environment, so we may continue to keep quality food on our tables, no matter what new troubles we face, as a species and a world, such as the ongoing pandemic. We pledge to take a leading stance in creating an example for the community regarding carbon net neutrality, tree planting activities to enhance the greenness and atmosphere of our neighbourhood, to running campaigns and activities that further educate our nation on how we can make our neighbourhood, and eventually our world, into a better place. We pledge to make a better world for future generations where they get to breathe clean air, drink pure water, consume the safest product the world has to offer and live in an unpolluted and fulfilling life, passing on this legacy for generations to come.
KHULSHI MART STANDS OUT FOR BEING THE ONLY SUPER SHOP THAT HAS ITS OWN FOOD TESTING LABORATORY AND LEGITIMATE FOOD SCIENTISTS TO ENSURE MAXIMUM FRESHNESS AND INSPECTION OF THE PRODUCE WE ARE SERVING ON THE STOREFRONT
WHAT MORE CAN WE EXPECT FROM KHULSHI MART OVER THE COMING YEARS?
The campaign initiatives mentioned above, under the banner of ‘Road to Sustainability 2025’ and the slogan ‘Better Neighbourhoods Make a Better World’ are the roadmap for the future we want to build at Khulshi Mart, its neighbourhood and the world. You can also expect us to keep up with the fast-paced world, keeping the same promise of premium quality products at the best prices even as we hurtle towards the unknown future – forever evolving for the better.
Website : www.khulshimart.com
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