Fashion Retail’s New Scale Master
Forever New Apparels has snagged Ripudaman Sharma as Vice President of Retail. Smart call as they chase big growth in India’s cutthroat premium fashion scene.
Retail these days? It’s store rollouts, seamless online-offline vibes, and customers who expect the world. This hire puts a battle-tested ops guy right at the heart of Forever New‘s next leap. Not just running shops–this is about cranking up scale and results.
Two Decades Climbing the Retail Ladder
Ripudaman‘s logged 20+ years leading in fashion, lifestyle, and even food retail. He nails:
- Massive store ops
- Sales across regions
- Building teams everywhere
- Profit chases and performance tweaks
- SOPs that actually work
From single outlets to national networks, he’s done it all–street-level smarts plus big-picture savvy.
Crushing It at Bestseller India
Ripudaman put in over 10 years at Bestseller India, a top global fashion player here. As National Sales Manager, he ran sales and ops across regions, growing a tricky mix of owned stores.
Before that, as Zonal Head – South & East, he owned:
- ₹250+ crore turnover
- 65+ exclusive outlets
- 300+ retail staff
- 4 Area Managers and a full regional setup
He juggled profits, expansions, tight ops, and teamwork with HR, finance, training, merch, sourcing, and marketing. Dude built full retail worlds, not just managed them.
North India Power Plays
As Regional Manager – North, he helmed:
- 50+ stores
- 250+ team members
- ₹200+ crore turnover
Set up a whole regional office too, linking ops, marketing, HR, training, finance, and projects for growth that sticks. Earlier, as Retail Ops Manager, he launched 32 new North India stores, staffing 150+ while hitting sales and keeping things smooth.
Roots at Benetton and Pizza Hut Hustle
At Benetton India, Ripudaman ran 25 stores pulling ₹70+ crore, including Chandigarh’s biggest company flagship. Kicked off at Pizza Hut as Unit Manager–ure frontline: customer magic, team wrangling, service wins. That’s where his people-first retail vibe took root.
Why Forever New Wins with Him
Forever New‘s in a spot where:
- Brand vibes lock in loyalty
- Store hustle drives profits
- Omnichannel’s make-or-break
- Ops discipline sorts the pros
Ripudaman‘s got it covered:
- Multi-store mastery
- Profitable growth proof
- Team scaling superpowers
- Execution with customer heart
- Frontline to strategy chops
Expect him to tackle:
- Boosting store output
- Expanding nationwide
- Forging next-gen teams
- Leveling up customer experiences
- Profitable, steady wins
CXO Gateway’s Take
Here at CXO Gateway, Ripudaman Sharma‘s move is peak retail smarts–dropping a proven shop-floor grinder into growth mode.
Fashion retail ain’t just popping stores anymore. It’s:
- Crafting experiences
- Powering teams
- Nailing ops
- Data-driven tweaks
- Brand lock-in at volume
Ripudaman‘s that floor-to-C-suite guy who knows success is one store, one team, one happy customer at a time. For Forever New, this isn’t filler–it’s betting on execution, excellence, and brand muscle that lasts.