Ferns 'N' Petals

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News Room

June 07

Meeta Gutgutia

CHATAK CHAAT Janakpuri

Puraani Dilli ki chaat

Flavours of purani Dilli at Chatak Chaat

It's flowers power

Ferns 'N' Petals comes up with IPTO

Kiosk's derivation

October 06

Petal Power

Fresh Flowers at your sweetheart's

Language of Flowers

Pretty packaging packs in punch

The latest in designer ware

Ferns'N'Petals Whether

Augest 07

Vedio

May 07

Flowers and Franchises

Floral Jewellery

Chatak Chaat Take your mother for a chaat treat

Just for Mom Mother's day

Mamma Mia! She's Cool, She's My Mom

Chatak Chaat promises Gurgaonwallas a wholesome chatkeeli Chatak Chaat treat

September 07

Ferns'N'Petals to invest in hostess academy, food outlets

Ferns'N'Petals touches 52

January 07

Vikaas Gutgutia, MD Ferns'N'Petals group

March 06

CEO vikaas Gutgutia has some gyaan for the wannabe gardener

October 07

In full bloom The festival season is upon us

March 07

They are fresh, cheap and smell like heaven

Video Clips

22 Aug 07 DD News

03 Jul 07 Headline Today

05 Aug 07 Headline Today

Publication	:	The Asian Age
Date	:	21st October 06
Region	:	New Delhi

Pretty packaging packs in punch Think pearls, gota and block-printing and what you get is a beautiful array of designer bowls and candles neatly wrapped to create the perfect Diwali gift. And when it's got to do with the people of the capital who like to flaunt what they have, the glamorous look is never passé.
Magnificence, that has been innovatively packaging gifts for many years, had a lot of thinking to do before they decide to go in for colored beads with nets to tone down the look for corporate, and step up the use of colored sequins, embroidered goats on dupion silk for personal items. The news is that stones and kundans are totally out. "We are emphasizing on colores like gold, silver and red, unlike pinks and maroons. Last year was about stones and fabrics, but this years was about stones and fabrics but this year it's back to floral designs and wood,: says Shalini Beriwal of Magnificence.

The trend has changed from fewer floating candles to more candle stands and trays which could be used later for decorative purposes. Therefore, you see glittering candles, candleholders, tea light candles, designer platters and trays with candles. People are gifting wine and confectioneries instead of the traditional mithai so packaing them involves more than just paper.
Kapil Khurana of Entertainment Design Company, who did the cards for famous weddings like Vikram Chatwal and Priya Sachdev, as well as designers like Rohit Bal and Tarun Tahiliani, says that good packaging is not just about glitter paper but making it feel special.
We have imported most of our wrapping paper from Europe which comes with a textured feel and looks amazing. Plus, we haven't gone in for the regular gold wraps and instead opted for metallic ones with interesting motifs, says Kapil.
Many fashion designer have also jumped on the bandwagon of designer packaging. The lattés to join the fray is JJ Valaya who tied up with Ferns'N'Petals to launch a new line. Deepti Uppal of Ferns'N'Petals admits that with the increasing interest shown by people who want something more they have to plan much in advance for the festive season. The present trends according to her are dominated by two hues blue and green. But then we have all the trappings of glitz with silver and golden bows, mirror work golden lace and flashy colours, she says. This Diwali, people have gone in for fabrics like organza and organdy to define the look of their packets.
We have introduced hand-woven fabrics for a discerning few along with the usual twigs, crystals, buttons as well as pictures of animated characters for kids, says Deepti.

Publication	:	The Indian Express
Date	:	22nd October 06
Region	:	New Delhi

The latest in designer ware

As Indian fashion finds itself competing with global players, it is becoming evident that sharp cuts need to be combined with a sharper business sense. In a bid to diversify and build brands, Indian designers are now saying with flowers, homeliness and cafes.
Ravi Bajaj's Business plan is ridiculously simple the more people go out t eat the more they need clothes to go out in says the Delhi based designer. So he gives them a place to wear his dapper clothes to.
Four storey of the 5,000 square feet Ravi Bajaj Menswear Emporio at GK1 display his sharply cut formal wear, sportswear and Made in Italy suits, while the top floor opens out into le café, an open air istro, overlooking a sprawling neem tree.
What the business savvy Bajaj has worked out quicker than other Indian designers is that a label needs more than sharp cuts. It takes a tad more than a few seasons of prêt to build a fashion empire. A café takes him one step closer to being Giorgio Armani the emperor himself. We have very little time left. If we don't do it in the next two to three years, well be nothing more than glorified tailors says Bajaj. The designer's haste is understandable. Foreign brands are rowing for Indian shores at top speed and for Indian designer to survive, they need to diversify. The two-year old café is part of Baja's empire building exercise.
International fashion moves the same way. A classic example of recent times is Tom Ford, who made Gucci a multi-billion dollar empire from a bankrupt fashion house. Now, a few years after leaving Gucci, the celebrity designer is using the same formula on his eponymous label which includes menswear, beauty products, fragrances, sunglasses and more.
When foreign brand invaders first landed about five years ago and started exchanging their monogrammed goodies for a large chunk of the new found Indian Disposable Income Desi designer contemplated forsaking zardozi and hired business managers overnight. They tied up with watch makers and shoemakers, began churning out branded chocolate or started designing interiors. Some took off, but none were smashing successes. Indian designers will be able to spread their wings only when they do relevant products with professional companies. Who cares for designer chocolates asks Tarun Tahiliani.
Now designers are getting ready for round two. Competitively priced prêt lines are already on racks (Tahiliani's TT and RockyS' Noir) but the trend is to experiment with products outside fashion. And homeliness are turning out to be the next big ticket. Sabyasachi Mukherjee has tied up with Bombay Dyeing, Shane and Falguni Peacock will launch Peacock Home soon, Manju and Bobby Grover unveiled M&BG Home at the Wills India fashion week in August and rocky s has just pulled back the curtain from his home line, Duvet. For most of these designers, their homeliness have imbibed their individual design sensibilities. So M&BG Home has the Delhi Based duo's textured, almost spiritual feel; Duvet has feminine touches like crushed silk frill, much like Rocky's flirty clothes, while the Peacock's line is of course, a patchwork of colours, feathers and animal prints. And Mukherjee's beloved block prints are all over the Bombay Dyeing bed covers.
A home line is a natural evolution for any fashion house, as fashion al most always extends itself to lifestyle, says JJ Valaya. His home brand, Valaya Home, is 11 years old and does no more than 14 to 20 special commissions a year. He has a roster of unnamable private clients who order his soft furnishings and signature tapestries.
Valaya has also translated his love for flora (he grew up in a army home with sprawling lawns) into an extension of his brand with Valaya.FNP Fleur. The store selling exotic imported stems was five months old when it was torn down in the 1 MG Road demolition in February. A three storey replacement will open soon. Valaya says the reactions haven't been tremendous, but for these past few months, phone transaction kept the store less venture afloat.
Indian designers are also finally waking up to what chanel and Yves saint Laurent discovered decades ago; The fact that couture is a parasitic mistress. She needs someone to feed her expensive tastes, and that's why designers have to produce prêt accessories and other products that make the registers go ka-ching.
Accessories make counter survive, but it's counter that makes the accessories sell, says Mukherjee. His five year plan includes rolling out watches, underwear, shoes, jewellery and maybe menswear. The Kolkata-based designer is as business savvy as they come. Even for someone who has turned a Rs. 20,000 investment into a company with a turnover of Rs. 10 crore in five years, Mukherjee doesn't dream of funding all these future projects himself.
Like his tie-up with Bombay Dying his plan is to diversify by co-branding. That means tying up with companies which ensure that the scale of production can be upped over the years. I don't want to do a one time thing. If the line does well, the company will book you next year too, he says.
Other have well thought out game plans as well. Tahiliani, The Big Daddy of Indian Design, has in the past done the interiors of SUVs and styled a few Great Indian Weddings, but gave it up as it was too to time-consuming.
He's currently considering a jewellery tie-up Sunglasses and other accessories are also allied to this, but I consciously want to stay in men's and women's fashion as of now, he says.
That's not the case with everyone. Valaya's going to branch out into boutique hotels. The Peacocks are also planning shoes and accessories and are going to start advertising in the international editions of vogue and Elle. Rocky's clients will soon smell great with his signature scent, and in 2007, handbags with the designer's tag may be on shelves. So many companies have been tying up with Indian designer and cashing in on their names. Its about time we did it ourselves, he says.
But the ones that are doing it them selves face some problems. Indians, especially women, aren't brand loyal. They want value for the buck says Bajaj. He says buyers are hesitant to pick up his shoes as they know they're not made in his factory. I have to wait till the woman who buys shoes for Rs. 2,000 progresses to pickle up a pair worth Rs. 10,000. Louis Vuitton buyers aren't going to come to me. He smiles.
Bajaj gives the market four to five years to mature. When it does, can we expect some designer wall paint or specially designed mouse pads?

Publication	:	Hindu Business Line
Date	:	10th May 07
Region	:	New Delhi

Of Flowers and Franchises
Ferns 'N' Petals has evolved from a simple florist's shop to a well-known franchise brand, and is even diversifying into food retail.

Say it with flowers seems to be the axiom Managing Director Vikaas Gutgutia has been following for over a decade. And he seems to be walking the talk, considering that from a nondescript florist shop in New Delhi's south extension in 1994, his company Ferns 'N' Petals has been able to transform itself into a brand recognized across the country. With a re-branding exercise under way and a diversification into the unrelated food retail sector, Gutgutia expects the Rs. 60 crore company to grow big enough to warrant an initial public offer two years down the line.
The initial ex years were full of struggle. Though I came from a family that was in the flowers business and hence was familiar with the ropes, some litigation and bringing in the right business partners took time. The next six years from 2000 onwards were the growth phase we became a known brand and the only organized player in the segment. Besides, to expand into different related areas we constantly kept sloughing back profits into the company, says Gutgutia, making it amply clear that there are two philosophies he follows. He prefers to use internal accruals as against debt or private equity to grow or diversify, and second, he likes to go in alone sans partners.
However, Ferns 'N' Petals has managed to use the franchisee route to its advantage. Apart from some shops, the rest are franchised, so much so that the chain has received awards for its models in both 2003 and 2004. It currently has 50 outlets nation wide with an

additional network of 65 strategic alliances for national deliveries and 156 vendor partner overseas for global deliveries. It successfully introduce the concept of lifestyle flower boutiques in the country, turning them into designed air-conditioned outlets that offer fresh, artificial and dry flowers and a vast range of objects d'art such as scented candles, candle stands, glass vases and gift accessories, among others.
Till now people were used to the road side flower seller, but with our designer look we introduced a whole new flower buying experience, says Gutgutia. To take the business forward, he also introduced an online flower retail service that helped grow the business further. The company then diversified into the events segment, taking orders for exclusive designing for weddings and corporate functions. And seeing that this had a substantial market, it went one step further. It tied up with couturier JJ Valaya of the House of Valaya to start a luxury flower boutique, Valaya.Fnp Fleur in October last year. At the launch, Valaya had said, My personal belief in unbound luxury lifestyles led us to lend our brand and aesthetic strengths to this venture and more importantly, in Vikaas and FNP, we found an able and committed organization to associate with.
Gutgutia explains the association; I saw opportunity knocking at our door. There was a certain segment of the wealthy that wanted high quality and exclusive designs. We are planning to have more such designer outlets, some even outside India. Along with the Valaya signature collections of floral installations, Valaya. FNP Fleur will also commission leading international floral designers including those in Singapore and Belgium to design and showcase a special line of floral art. However, to bring in the volumes, next on the cards are flower carts, many of which may even replace the pholwalla on street corner. The flower cars would be branded, mobile and in all likelihood be offered to the local street flower vendors to run. However, for this plan we need all our franchise partners to agree and that will be discussed during our annual franchisee meeting in a few months, he says.
From a phoolwalla, I'm going to turn into a chaatwalla, says Gutgutia in jest, detailing his latest retail foray into the street food segment. Christened Chatak Chaat, it plans to take on the Western fast food segment of burgers and pizzas. It will offer all the traditional favorites from Chhole bhature and dahi raj kachori ki chaat to aloo tikki and bambaiya ragda. Chatak Chaat attempts to take street food into a hygienic chain which will offer its food in four formats. There will be standalone outlets, kiosks, carts and mobile vans that can reach a consumer's door step on request. We are formatting our business right now, though we already have a pilot project running. To start with we plan to have around six outlets in Delhi, two in Mumbai and three in Chennai. The food will be standardized like other chains, with the recipes bar coded and premixed he says.
Chatak Chaat is also planning to foray overseas. The logic? If burgers and pizzas work here, why not puchkas and paani puri in markets where the chicken tikka masala and kebabs are a rage? Another great idea from FNP, but of courseit remains to be seen if the company is able to build another brand from its food business.

Publication	:	Gurgaon Explorer
Date	:	20th May 07
Region	:	Gurgaon

Chatak Chaat promises Gurgaonwallas a wholesome chatkeeli Chatak Chaat treat. Located at Sahara Mall and Spencers at MGF mega city, the ethos is as simple as the experience every Indian grew up with enjoy chaat, but not at the nukkad. Enjoy it in a style and ambience that you feel at home in. Add to it the USP of its clean counters, hygiene and the warm welcome which is integral to any enterprise promoted under the FNP umbrella and you have the unique chatak chaat legacy come alive in all its lip smacking splendor and promise.
Lending their vision and creative retail expertise to the unorganized street food sector, fernsNpetals, led bny the very enterprising Vikaas Gutgutia has introduced their new masaledar venture chatak chaat, now made available by the visionary group in a more modern, hygienic and evolved environment of a fast food restaurant Chatak chaat skillfully replaces the yankie burger with yummy puchkas and raaj Kachoris. Chatak Chaat creates a comfort zone laced with an authentic local desi flavor to retail the most preferred street foods. Creative & competitive packaging, a much evolved taste palette and a modern ambience ensure a unique experience. Vikaas Gutgutia, MD Ferns'N'Petals Chatak Chaat explains, The vision is to turn Chatak Chhaat into a national retail food chain offering unmatched experience of savoring authentic flavors of local Indian street food in a very international and modern setting. The idea is to take the experience to a national retail level where Indian families can take home Indian fast food; A healthier, tastier and better treat which is also deeply rooted to their taste palette. From the new summer menus Recommendations go for Bombay pani puri (Rs. 24), Palak Patta Papdi Chaat (Rs. 35), Matar Raj Kachori chaat (Rs. 38), Kolkatta Jhyalmuri (Rs. 22) Ragda Chaat (Rs. 25) Dahi Puchkas (Rs. 24) Kabuliwala chatpatta aloo (Rs. 25), Rajasthani Kanji Bada (Rs. 25), chuski (Rs. 20) and Masal Kanji (Rs. 25) Go light at coco Palms.
It's the best place for a light meal or snack. Start with Lassi or buttermilk, just the thing for summers. Replete with ornate pictures of south Indian food, that adorns the walls and the aroma of fresh hot Vadas ET all impresses when one first enters. Located at the Central Arcade, DLF Phase II and DT city center this south Indian eatery is always filled with people at any given time. The south Indian thali here is a steal and honestly it is good enough for tow. Many couples order one between the two. Other popular dishes on the a la carte menu include Idly Vada mix, Dahi Vada, Dahi Idlis, Lemon rice, paneer masala butter dosa, upma and the rice of the day. End on a sweet note with Kesari Bhath or kulfi, both are absolutely decadent to the core.

Publication	:	The Hindu
Date	:	12th May 07
Region	:	New Delhi

Just for Mom
Mother's day
Pamper your mother this Sunday
It's time to tell you mother how special she is. Of course, there can be nobody more special than a mother in one's life. As Mrs. S. arora, principal, Bharti Public School, Swasthya Vihar, says, God could not be everwhereso he made Mohter. So celebrate and pamper her the berst possible way. And there are umpteen number os ways to do that. Tabula rasa the trendy restaurant aat squrare one destination has delightful ideas for pleasing you mom. She will be greeted with a glass of complimentary champagne or a choice of red or white wine along with gifts. A beautiful Ferns'N'Petals flower arrangement will be presented to her at the table and a special song will be played for her. Even a photograph of you and your mother will be taken and placed in a wooden frame as a memento of the special day. And that is not all there will be a dessert with a personalized mother's day message unit.
And for this special day, H2O plus brings gifts sets for you to pamper your mom.
The gifts are ideal skincare products to feel good on the special day. Which includes Mukti Mask Gift set to nourish the skin for different needs throughout the season; Deluxe Mariel Collection which has this luxurious collection of our signature fragrance Mariel, a sea of natural essences, exotic fruits, sensual floral and rich botanical.
VLCC had a special evening saluting celebrating women achievers who are also great moms.
The gifts are ideal skincare products to feel good on the special day. Which includes Mkti Mask Gift set to nouish the skin for different needs throughout the season; deluxe mariel collection which has this luxurious collection of our signature fragrance mariel, a sea of natual essences, exotic fruits, sensual florals and rich botanical.
VLCC had a special evening saluting celebrating women achievers who are also grat moms. And, artd'sinox rand from Jindal stainless, has chosen flowers to touch your mother's heart this Mother's day. With purchase of every flower vase as a tribute to you mother art'dinox brand from Jindal Staianless, has chosen flowers to touch your mother's heart this mohter's Day. With purchase of every flower vase as a tribute to your mother art dinox will gift the flower decors decors absolutely free!
Fortis La Femme is organizing a program for pregnant women this Mother's day in conjunction with celebrity kids portrait studios, a US based photo studio which has recently entered the Indian market with its flagship store in Delhi. The program includes cookery demo of three healthy dishes and tips to avoid back ache plus a complimentary portrait of the pregnant woman. There are free hamprers too.
Atrium Hotel on Surajkund Road is organizing a complimentary brunch only for mothers in Panoramic it's multi cuisine restaurant from 12.30 p.m to 3.30 p.m.

Publication	:	Economics Times
Date	:	19 Jan. 07
Region	:	New Delhi

Vikaas Gutgutia, MD Ferns'N'Petals group, loves to look at vast expanse of flower filled farm house from his first floor office. FNP Gardens doubles up as the company's head office. It looks beautiful in bright sunshine in winter mornings, he says. That's an understatement coming from a man who has built a Rs. 100 crore business around flowers. In the last 13 years, FNP has ventured into event management and e-commerce with flowers being integral to each.
That's set to change. Vikaas has now entered a brand new world of Chatak Chaat, a street food chain launched recently. He also plans to enter hospitality training and manpower business. Considering Gutgutia's flowery background, this is quite a diversification for FNP. Food is my second passion and I see a great business proposition in it he says. Soon, FNP is adding a professional Hot / Hostesses academy. The academy will train and engage young people as hosts and hostesses in scores of events that are organized round the country throughout the year. I promise these youngsters better remuneration than those of airhostesses, he declares. And train them without any cost. These two new businesses along with core flower retail business will help FNP touch Rs. 500 crore in revenues by 2010 end, says Vikaas. The common thread in all these ventures is that they are all dominated by a huge unorganized sector. My experience with people and ideas from them has led me to believe that one can bring an order in such unorganized industries. All one has to do is to identify need gaps, he says.
Vikaas grew up in a small house surrounded by 2 acre chrysanthemum farm in Vidyasagar, a small town ship on the Bihar-West Bengal border. He used to see his grandfather often travel to supply flowers to New Market retailers in Kolkata. Vidyasagar had the right climatic conditions for floriculture saw nothing in a big way Dealing with flower shops in Kolkata was difficult and catering to them from a far off place threw up pricing and quality issues. Gutgutia family was forced to set up it's own retial outlet in Kokata in the late 1980s. Things remained that way will Vikaas took charge.
He set up his first fresh flower retail outlet in Delhi 1994, Ferns'NPetals. Ppular perception suggested that a florist shop can't be run without personal supervision. That meant you couldn't have more than one shop, he says. Vikaas determination to prove the perception wrong kept him going. With the inauguration of the second outlet in 1995, the ordeal to get the model right began. He first tried out working partners who managed the outlet on a profit sharing basis while FNP made investment. The idea was to ensure greater degree of involvement form the working partner. We were looking for people who we could blindly trust, but it wasn't all that easy, says the FNP founder.
For every three outlets we opened, only news successful, he recalls. Vikaas then thought of hiring professional, but shelved the idea even before he could start. First of all, there was no formal education in floriculture and no well educated person wanted to dirty his hands in this business, he says.
Soon he realized that as the number of FNP outlets increase, his overheads would also go up. And scaling up operations all by himself would become difficult, so FNP turned to franchising option in 1999. By then there were six FNP shops Franchising model worked wonders and within three year, FNP chain expanded to 28 outlets and moved to other cities. Today, there are 60 FNP stores across 26 cities.
FNP went in for backward integration and go into fresh flower wholesaling through a division, Plus Marketing. While that helped getting rid of intermediaries and shave costs, it al;so opened a alternative revenue channel. Seeing that people have started spending great deal on events, Vikaas quickly added three different businesses. Plus events & Wedding address hotels and top end clients for flower decoration during the event and currently contributes as much as 38% and 15% percent of FNP's total revenues respectively. FNP soon began using its website to pouch revenues and tied up with major portals like rediff.com, bazze.com, indiatimes.com, sify and indtv.com for e-tailing some 100 products ranging from fresh and artificial flowers to cakes to combo gifts and sweets to name a few.
Two years back, he added designer line. He roped in fashion designer JJ Valaya to create a signature brand of top end floral boutique, Valaya FNP Fleur, something on the lines of Armani Fleur in Singapore. Valaya FNP Fleur is being used to make an in iteration foray into flower retailing. To begin with, the company has opened a model boutique in Delhi and plans to open three overseas boutiques in Dubai, Singapore and London starting this year. We aim to make our designer floral boutique a destination shop in each of those markets, Vikaas says.
Today, he is a florist, a wedding planner and a hotelier all rolled into one, who is being wooed by many investors. He is slow pedaling on that and says he would consider and IPO by next year once he has put his entire business portfolio in place.

Publication	:	Times of India
Date	:	March 07
Region	:	New Delhi

They are fresh, cheap and smell like heaven. They are also the latest options in jewellery doing the elite rounds Say it with Flowers
They don't quite match up to the sparkle of a diamond or the snobbery op platinum. But here's a new option to make you stand out at a monsoon bash: Garden fresh floer jewellery.
At Amrish Pershad's work shop in New Friend's Colony, it can get frosty while preparing real flower jewellery. We maintain a temperature of 10-15 degrees Celsius. As the water content is low in cut flowers, the tips easily turn black explains the 34-year old who caters to an elite client list.
What began as an experiment during his sister's wedding is now getting him 35-40 orders every wedding season.
His team of 35 can shell out necklaces, chokers, brooches and waistbands in an hour's time from fresh cut flowers. Floral ornaments are a style statement, says Pershad, who mixes chunks of flowers with Swarovski and coloured beads, and charges upwards of Rs. 2,500 for his effort. Known for his set designs in Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding, he has also provided floral accessories to fashion designers Ashima and Leena.
To avoid last-minute hassles, it is advisable to keep the basic structure ready, says Meeta Gutgutia, director of Ferns'N'Petals. To expand the company's floral reach, 32 year old Gutgutia launched flowery embellishments two years ago. They add a natural look and come cheap. The only drawback is that this kind of beauty lasts only for a day, says the South Delhi Polytechnic alumnus, whose floral accessories have been worn by models in designer JJ Valaya's shows.
Brides preferred real flower jewellery at the mehandi ceremony, she says. Even children like coloured flowers.
At a birthday party recently, boys wore wooden bracelets while the girls flaunted the Hawaiian look, she muses. Her designs come for Rs. 500 and above, depending on the choice of flowers.
Gutgutia has also tried her hand at artificial flower designs for summers, orchid and carnations work best. But with a longer shelf life, crystal berries, Olive and Cosmos willows make for a beautiful set, says Gutgutia, who is ready to set up her studio, Desire, at Safdarjung Enclave. So the next time you set out for a party, the flower shop next door can prove helpful in more ways than one.