Step by Step –The Success Story of Dhiraj Sons from Surat

‘Dreams do come true. All they need is YOU.’ It is an apt adage that heralds the journey of the Modi family from Surat, who handle the helm of affairs at the Dhiraj Sons outlets. Dhiraj Sons is a well known name in the retail industry that runs supermarkets, department stores, a toy shop, a card shop and an exclusive stationary shop. Three generations and the bond remains strong in the family with each brother, though cousins, being uniform in their goal – to expand the scale and reach of their stores across the city and outside too.

Setting the context Occupying a total area of more than 47,000 sq. ft across 1 mega store, 6 supermarkets, 1 toy shop, 1 card and gift shop and 1 stationary shop, Dhiraj Sons began their humble journey in 1971 through a small kirana store that was less than 250 sq. ft.

Even then, Late Dhirajlal Modi ensured that his store, Athwa General Stores, scored above the others in terms of the goods he stocked, which included niche items like baked beans and dips and ketchup. His sons – Rajnikant, Praful and Bipin who took on the mantle to expand the re-brand their store to Dhiraj Sons – beautifully carried on the zeal that he had for his business. The year was 1984. Operating from a bigger store that was spread across 1500 sq. ft, they converted that into a supermarket and also included a department store.

After tasting phenomenal success in the business of supermarket and department stores, the Modi family is now looking at entering into the business of apparels for the midsegment with their brand Big Tree. Plans for this include having a minimum of 2,000 sq. ft stores and for the fi rst time, they are open to having investors invest in their company for this. The group is looking into having their own private labels in various categories. Currently, their brand of rose syrup is doing extremely well in their supermarkets.