Srinagar, May 9: The idea of selling fabric in kilogrammes in Kashmir has been pioneered by a woman business owner in Srinagar. Her experiment was an immediate success, and since starting with just one shop in 2012, her firm has expanded to five showrooms in the heart of Srinagar, with plans for further growth.
In 2012, Anjum Jan, a local of Srinagar’s Illahibagh locality, started her own company. She holds a Master’s in Commerce, and before launching her own company, she spent more than ten years working in various private sector positions. “In 2012, I launched my own firm after acquiring sufficient skills in the private sector. Anjum informed this publication, “I set up a curtain showroom.”
“I began in the retail industry before moving on to wholesale. Customers responded well to me, particularly the women, she remarked. As her company expanded, she entered the fabric industry and established a fabric showroom where she sold a variety of textiles in feminine designs.
“Since I am a woman, I believed that women would feel at ease buying fabric from a store owned by women. Women from all sections of the Valley started coming to my showrooms to buy the cloth of their choice once I was proven to be correct,” Anjum added.
Anjuman adopted the same strategy in Kashmir and is currently selling the fabric in kilogrammes after being inspired by the idea of selling textile fabrics in kilogrammes in Mumbai. For weighing the garments, she has a weight balance machine in the showrooms.
“I made the decision to offer textile fabric sold in kilogrammes in Kashmir right away after observing its selling in Mumbai. It quickly gained popularity, and now people come to my showrooms to buy cloth in kilogrammes from even remote locations like Uri and Kupwara. Additionally, people from Jammu come to our shop to buy cloth.”
Now she sells clothing fabric for both men and women. Anjum stated, “We are offering various sorts of textiles in kgs, including wedding and party attire, sherwani, etc. She said that she not only sells cloth in kilogrammes but also at a significantly lower price.”
“I directly import many types and kinds of cloth, particularly from Singapore. I obtain the fabric at a cheaper price than what is offered on the market since there is no broker or middleman involved in the purchase, and I pass the savings on to the clients,” said Anjum.
She stated that she is proud of the fact that a fabric dealer from within the nation is buying the fabric from a company owner in the Valley which may be a first. In a decade, her showrooms have grown to five due to the expansion of her firm. “I’m still focusing on the fabric’s quality. Before putting the cloth up for sale in the showrooms, we inspect its quality. If there is even the tiniest complaint, I respond straight away, investigate, and, if justified, provide a replacement. But during the course of my ten-year operation, there have been very few complaints.”
