The beginning of the millennium was an interesting phase for organized retail which was gradually taking shape in India. Back then, Gibam, Italy, one of the key suppliers of shop-fittings predominantly contributed to the fixtures in Lifestyle, Bangalore, and Pantaloon, Mumbai. In the years that followed, local manufacturers joined the fray with a view to help large retailers manage their costs. However, cutting costs often came at the expense of quality. With a view to bridge this gap the Landmark Group in India which owns the ‘Lifestyle’ brand requested Gibam, Italy to set-up their operations in India.

Christened Indyfit Shop fittings India Pvt. Ltd, the company was established in 2011. The initial years were those of turmoil as the company was challenged with a range of issues from factory location to managing its funds and setting up a team. In March 2014, a new leadership emerged. Helmed by Subramanian TS aka Subu, the

changes.The entire manufacturing unit was shifted to a more feasible location, new machinery installed and the workforce re-organised.

Team GIBAM is trained to ensure conformance to detailing & quality

Most importantly, Subramanian vantaged the ‘Gibam’ brand identity and changed the company name to GIBAM India Pvt. Ltd. A peek into Subu’s background helps us understand exactly why he was roped in. Having worked with three European startups – Jungheinrich, Germany , Mettler Toledo,Switzerland and Bizerba, Germany, he brought the European discipline and organised style company witnessed a slew of thinking, finance and profit management combined with the knowledge of Indian market dynamics.

Carving a Niche for Emerging Brands in Retail

While executing a project, GIBAM India focuses on Design and Material Planning. With an exceptionally dedicated team trained to perfect the art, they go out in uniform and install the product with pride. Because of their advance planning and right execution methodologies, today most customers see GIBAM as a reliable partner in terms of delivery and installation deadlines.

Elaborating on the relationship shared with GIBAM, Sudhir Soundalgekar, Director – Projects, Raymond, says “When I entered Raymond in 2015, we were in search of good vendors, who will work with us for various projects under Raymond.

In fact, we got introduced to GIBAM while developing fixtures for a particular brand called PARX . During this phase, GIBAM helped us to not only develop the fixtures but had done a very good R&D work for us. Our visit to their factory outlet was just phenomenal. And when it came to executing the final product, they had delivered the right quality product. After this, GIBAM started working with us for shop concept for brands such as – Park Avenue and Color Plus. They have definitely proven their credentials very well.”

At present, GIBAM services some of the well-known shopping brands in India and the company is aiming to expand their base PAN India in the next three years. “We want to become the first choice of customers in the shop-fitting business. We will soon be introducing new technologies that will make our systems even more modular and offer clients quick installation timelines. Once GST is implemented, we may also start to promote our Italian product line in India as we believe they would be more affordable and would be the right choice for customers who have high volume needs in short time,” concludes Subu.