At present with employee strength of 250 people and a turnover of Rs 30 crore, Presto a pioneering and most recognised brand in personalised gifting industry, and owned by Kolkata-based Mohan Impressions Pvt. Ltd is now ready for new zenith of success. In an interview, Anurag Poddar, Director, Mohan Impressions Pvt. Limited shares brand’s further growth plans.
Namita Bhagat (NB): Brief us on the origin and concept of Presto Personalised Wonders.
Anurag Poddar (AP): Presto Personalised Wonders has been pioneer in the field of personalised gift items. Based in Kolkata and dealing under the name of Mohan Impressions Pvt. Ltd, Presto has slowly but steadily become a household name in the domain of personalised gifts. Presto had a humble beginning in 1996, with a single product ‘Office Rubber Stamp’, it has now a bustling product range of 600 unique items under personalised gift category. With an employee strength of 250 people and a turnover of 30 crore, Presto is a recognised brand across India. I along with Anil K Jhawar (co-founder) have strived to steer the company to new horizons of success.
NB: How has been the brand’s journey so far?
AP: Since its inception Presto has come a long way. Today, the company owns business space exceeding 50,000 sq. ft and more than 1,00,000 happy customers. Over the years Presto has developed its franchise format, distribution channels, diversified its product lines and multiplied success. Presto now has five verticals; personalised gifts, corporate gifts, awards and appreciation products, personalised home decor and office rubber stamps. Our broad product portfolio caters to all kinds of gifting needs for kids, youngsters, housewives, and serious buyers like corporate houses, PSUs, clubs, schools, colleges and all kind of business houses as well. Given its core competence, successful track record and products range, it is right on the way to chart personalised success.
NB: When and how did Presto decide to take to franchise route?
AP: After having opened couple of stores and operated successfully, we realised that the business format is very much franchisable. Franchise route ensured fast growth, deeper penetration and minimum financial stake especially for our format which has huge flexibility in terms of investment, locations and consumers. We began franchising in 2008 and the model has been a fantastic growth vehicle that helps Presto in achieving its goals. At the same time, its innovative product range, big network, efficient and strong support team, professionally managed services and continuous research and development (R&D) made Presto a solid business model to franchise.
NB: Share brand’s current presence.
AP: Today, the brand’s store network has grown to 118 stores in cities like Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Nagpur, Ahmedabad, Cochin, Coimbatore, Bhubaneswar, Guwahati, Chandigarh, Raipur, shillong, Agartala, Dimapur, Imphal, Aizwal, Itanagar, Siliguri, Durgapur, Rourkela, Trivandrum and others.
NB: What makes your brand promising?
AP: The unique product portfolio with refreshing designs coupled with innovativeness made the brand already very popular amongst the gift lovers. The brand has enough potential to become a generic brand as far as gifting is concerned. The aggressive margin structure is another important factor in the success of this model. We have franchisees that have multiple Presto outlets because of the solid viability of this business model. And nevertheless, a dedicated franchise team is in the business to trigger the growth and maintaining the chain of franchised store across India. We, as the industry leader, put our R&D department to work on new products all the time and implementing those across the chain at right time to stay ahead of the competition.
NB: What is the area and investment required for an interested franchisee seeking partnership with your brand?
AP: We like to nurture a winning network of franchisees and suppliers and maximise long-term returns to franchisees while being mindful of our overall responsibilities. The company operates through two formats: exclusive stores and kiosks. A potential franchise requires an area of 80-400 sq. ft and capital of Rs 6 to 15 lakh. Preferred locations for opening brand’s stores are shopping malls, hi-street and inside large hyper mart.
NB: Share the vision of your company. What does the future hold for Presto Personalised Wonders?
AP: We aim to be a highly effective, lean and fast-moving organisation and will continue to offer a portfolio of quality products and services that satisfies people's desires and needs. Besides, considering the present growth rate of the brand, we are upbeat about the accomplishing our target of operating 500 outlets across India and 10 outlets overseas by 2015. We also want to establish Presto as one of the most admired brand across industries.
