India’s Estee Lauder
Mira Kulkarni started Forest Essentials
Mira Kulkarni started Forest Essentials
Mira Kulkarni wanted to build India’s Estee Lauder, who started small in New York in 1946. Estee Lauder’s revenue for FY17 was about $12bn.
Her son Samrath Bedi is executive director of Forrest Essentials. It has 38 exclusive company-owned boutiques in 11 cities. The company’s revenue is north of INR 200 crore. It sells its products to brands such as Oberoi’s and Tatas. It also exports to more than 120 countries.
Samrath says in an interview, “What we have created as a category, it has a huge appeal worldwide. I think we have a billion-dollar brand in our hands.”
Estee Lauder acquired 20% in the company. It is helping it expand overseas. The brand is launching more brands, and doing more research and development. It blends the old ayurvedic system with the modern delivery system.