Mr. Vikaas Gutgutia, MD & Founder, Ferns N Petals talks about the journey from a corner store florist small business into a global gifting chain
I have always believed that successful execution of an idea is what separates the dreamers from the entrepreneurs and that is how the business has grown. I established the floral business with an objective to provide world-class facility and the highest quality to customers along with the widest variety of domestic & exotic flowers.
It all started 25 years back, while I was studying in Kolkata, and used to help my uncle in his flower business, when I developed interest and trading skills in being a florist. In 1994, I opened the first store of Ferns N Petals in the prime locality of Delhi. The air-conditioned ambience and beautiful varieties of flowers captivated the attention of the customers. After getting an excellent response, I expanded into other regions of Delhi and thus, the journey of delivering happiness continued. Today, we lead the floral, gifting and cakes industry, with 400 outlets in more than 120 cities pan-India and a presence across the world. We have emerged as a reputed brand with 12 verticals under the FNP umbrella. Today, apart from India (https://www.fnp.com/), we are also present in Dubai (https://www.fnp.ae/) and Singapore (https://www.fnp.sg/), and deliver in 170 countries.
Our key milestones:
1994: First retail outlet opened in New Delhi 1996: First wedding décor assignment 2002: Launched www.fnp.com 2003: Opened first wedding venue ‘The Kundan’ 2013: Launched ‘The Flagship Store’ 2014: Launched Wedding Design Hub 2015: Went global through www.fnp.ae 2016: Udman (first hotel of the brand) 2016: Crossed 1 million customer mark at www.fnp.com 2017: Started FNP Cakes ‘N’ More 2018: Launched ‘FNP Media’, a content & production house 2018: Opened 300th Retail Outlet 2019: Entered FMCG business by launching FNP Water 2020: Launched ‘Last Journey’ personalised funeral servicesAs an immediate effect of lockdown, our daily order volume dropped by 80%, primarily because of high dependency on logistics and physical delivery of goods. We were quick to realise the need for 100% contact-less gifting, and launched digital gifting services in the backdrop of the nationwide lockdown, and gradually after the launch, the order volume climbed back to 60%.