Home delivery segment still dominated

And isn’t the home delivery segment still dominated by Domino’s? Say that and pat comes Niren’s reply. “Brand is successful when you make choices and sacrifices. We chose to be in the restaurant segment and we really wanted to be an outstanding restaurant player with an USP in ‘eatertainment’.” Neither is the gracious and charming MD deterred by new players, believing that the Indian market has enough potential to accommodate all. Nevertheless, it is a reality that the company’s promotional and branding activities have mostly rotated around Pizza Hut, while KFC stands royally ignored, even during this second Indian innings. But Niren says that will soon change and the company has big expansion plans lined up, which requires intensive involvement of all his people. “As a leader, it is my responsibility to ensure changes and the process starts from me. I think leadership begins with change in yourself; it’s the responsibility of the leader to move all employees in the right direction,”he says. So, these days, Niren is busy ensuring full participation from employees in any decision making activity, convinced that it will result in enhanced employee involvement.

And no, despite his obvious zeal and enthusiasm, this one’s no pushover for work. He strikes a fine balance between work and personal space. “Be fully present, wherever you are. We have so many roles to play apart from our jobs, like a father, a son, a husband and so on,” says this father of two. He also manages time for his passion – music – and enjoys cooking too. No wonder he’s in the business of pizzas and fast food. So what’s next: “My best is yet to come, as I have to contribute more and create a culture of trust between our brand and the consumer. Our mission is to make ‘yum’ relevant to billions of Indians. We want to enlighten consumers with our brands and will be the number one restaurant business in all categories,” avers Niren, as he signs off!

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

An alumnus from the prestigious St. Stephen’s College

Restaurants. An alumnus from the prestigious St. Stephen’s College (Delhi University), Niren did his MBA from the Faculty of Management Studies and even had a stint with Tata Administrative Service, before joining the yummy brigade over a decade ago. In fact, before Niren was deputed by Yum! Restaurants on mission India, he served in various capacities with the restaurant major in Netherlands and Germany, where he served as General Manager, KFC. “I feel privileged to have been with a company like Yum! in various countries and various cultures. Of course, the European market is very different from Indian market. But still the knowledge that I gained from working with KFC in Germany or any other country has helped a lot in setting the groundwork for Indian operations. We were one of the pioneers among the global brands to enter India,” Chauhary told 4Ps B&M. Yum! forayed onto the Indian platter in 1996 with two of its flagship brands KFC and Pizza Hut. But that was the year when other global rivals in the QSR domain (read: Domino’s and McDonald’s) also ventured in the country. Competition for a slice of the taste buds was furious and intense. Consequently, Big Mac with its Indianised menu and ‘easy on the pocket’ products stole the show, while KFC and Pizza Hut were left being perceived as high priced chains and missed out on the initial fast food brouhaha in the country. Soon KFC had to even bid adieu to Indian soil. “We made certain mistakes and we had our lessons to learn,” reminisces Niren. Pizza Hut however stayed put and as Yum! Restaurants gradually blended the pizza chain’s value proposition with Indian market realities - made its products relevant to Indian consumers and localized its offerings - things started looking up. “We soon became the leader in the pizza segment in India and then in 2005 we again re-introduced KFC,” explains Niren. Today with sales in Pizza Hut zooming by 50%, boasting an overall market share of 30%; and with 134 Pizza Hut outlets and 27 KFC spread across 134 cities and 9 cities (respectively), Yum! is indeed having yummy times in India. But now, competition of a different type is on the anvil, from new kids on the Indian block (read Burger King); who have lined up to play their part in the India story.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

When biz goes yummy!

Our first sight of him came when he was fussing nonstop over seating arrangements for a few especially invited guests at a crowded Pizza Hut outlet in the capital. The occasion was designed to launch Pizza Hut’s (ongoing) World Food Fest and throw open an all new menu, with yummy dishes from Lebanon, China, Mexico, Russia, France, the US and India. Playing the perfect host, Niren Chaudhary, MD, Yum! Resturants was in his element, displaying his charming demeanour, organisational skills and attention to detail, to perfection. An ideal match indeed for a company
that has a multi-brand foray into both, the service industry and the retail biz! If the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach; the global QSR giant –Yum! Restaurants International has managed to weave its way into the heart of the entire world with its staggering 34,000 restaurants spread over 100 cities. Its popular food chains include KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken), Pizza Hut and Taco Bells; of which the former two are making gastronomic waves in India, under the leadership of Niren Chaudhary, head of Indian operations of Yum!


For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008 ,An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)