From a carpet exporter in 1978 to the owner of Rs 1,300-crore Business Empire, Bhartiya Group’s Snehdeep Aggarwal vision of venturing into real estate was to make people re-connect with the joy of community living
- What was the motive behind creating BIL? How was the response of the company in its initial days?
The creation of BIL is a story of attempts and achievements. My decision of not joining the family business and the undying entrepreneurial urge to venture into untried and untested waters was the sole purpose of the inception of Bhartiya International Ltd. The stepping stone of the Bhartiya group was the carpet export business in 1978, for which I borrowed Rs. 5000 from my father. In spite of huge demand in the German market for carpets things were not easy initially. I went to Germany and met several buyers, being a novice I had nothing much to share in terms of credibility and past records but I guess my determination of not giving up paid off and the first order of the company was of Rs. 28,000 approx. The quality of the carpets made the customers return to us and since then there was no looking back.
- Your business as leather fashion exporter is spread internationally, have you undertaken any international real estate projects as well?
The leather business has indeed taken us to a global platform and today we supply leather products to various fashion brands like ZARA, Hugo Boss, Massimo Dutti etc. Real estate is a relatively new vertical to the group; started in 2006 we have several projects like Bhartiya City in which we have Nikoo Homes 1 and 2 etc. We at Bhartiya certainly believe in bringing the world to India, all our projects have taken inspiration from global lifestyle and we have incorporated it to the Indian way of living creating spaces to live, work, play, dream, and revive our roots of community living.
- You are the largest leather apparel manufacturer in the world, what is the source of leather for all your leather products which you provide to various leading fashion brands (Coach, Calvin Klein, Max & Co., Zara, Trussardi, Mango, etc.). Do your product categories is limited only to real leather or other materials as well?
At Bhartiya we make sure that the quality of products manufactured and exported is nothing less than perfect. We use genuine leather and have an integrated supply chain for production of leather apparels in Bengaluru and leather accessories in Chennai. We also make non-leather outerwear made out of pu nylon or cotton for jackets and production of garments made out of pig skin in China.
“The ecological balance is critical for our survival as humans and sustainable development is what we abide by at Bhartiya.”
- What are the environmental impacts of your real estate projects?
My vision of venturing into real estate was to make people re-connect with the joy of community living, of knowing people who stay around you, which we have sadly lost in today’s fast-paced life. At the Bhartiya City, those old days are back. The city of Joy, as we like to call it, is a place where the charms of a little town sit happily next to the best that modern life has to offer. Our projects have been under strict compliance with the environmental guidelines laid for any construction projects, we lay great emphasis to keep the environmental impacts to the minimum. Abundance of greenery is the pivotal point of all the construction. With Bhartiya city we made sure that before the completion of houses, the green belt, 7 acre central park, jogging track, cycling track etc. are ready and in Nikoo Homes, each of the residential building the concept of “Vertical Village” has been incorporated to increase the vegetation. The ecological balance is critical for our survival as humans and sustainable development is what we abide by at Bhartiya.
- What is the source of your inspiration, who do you look up to?
I am passionate about design and innovative products that impact lives. So, at this stage of my entrepreneurial journey, l am inspired by concepts and ideas that delight people and make the world a better place.
- Would you like to throw some light on your future projects?
As for the fashion business, we will achieve great growth in the coming years, and creating a brand is always in my mind. Bhartiya City in Bengaluru, is our first such project and we intend to create more such smart cities across India. We will also focus on transforming Nikoo Homes brand as a leading Home Brand in the country.
Abundance of greenery is the pivotal point of all the construction
