Volume 15
max team strategy
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Maxicon we are growing... seven years and counting! Dear readers, It has been more than seven years since the first edition of Maxicon and the evolution of the magazine has been amazing from where we started off to where it is now. I thought it is time to step back and relook at how we can evolve and make this magazine an addiction amongst its readers. Who best could help us with this but our readers? Please feel free to share your ideas, suggestions, feedback and thoughts on how we can make this internal magazine more interesting and engaging for all of you. As we wait for your responses, this edition of Maxicon is heavy duty as we cover the “National Confluence and the Regional Confluences” across India where the annual strategy at the organisational, functional and regional levels is under discussion. We also bring to you glimpses of the Retail Employees’ Day and the People Icon Awards for the year 2018-19, which were filled with a lot of fun and frolic, a lot of excitement and loads of recognition. Sit back and enjoy the articles and get ready to work towards implementing the strategies planned for the year as you look forward to many exciting activities in the coming year. We will await feedback from you. You may send your inputs to maxhr.blrcorp@landmarkgroup.in Nandini Mehta HR 1
contents Speak’ with 04 ‘Top Harshendra
unwavering focus. But there’s a lot more to her multi-faceted personality – her family which is her strength, her never-say-die attitude and her love for dancing!
Maheshwari
As Head VM, he has a keen insight into the future of retail that lies with tech-savvy millennial shoppers. And our campaigns, working across physical & digital platforms, aim to fulfil all their expectations.
06 Read and Conquer!
Have some downtime at work? Read a book for key insights into tackling workplace situations. Our cover story, a comprehensive guide to corporate reading, is sure to leave colleagues impressed and bosses happy!
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When Great Minds Meet... The National
Confluence 2018-19 in Goa brought together employees from across the country to learn from past failures and plan for future successes. It also saw the launch of the M1B logo, followed by the commitment to achieve “1 billion by 2022” as an organisation.
10 with 20 Take Nandini Mehta
The Head of Business HR works with quiet dynamism and
Time for 22 Glam the Workforce
For Retail Employee Day, we organised the Fash Bash, a unique group fashion show involving each employee. The Grand Finale saw some spectacular performances along with the launch of our special publication Min to Max and the latest edition of Maxicon.
26 Fun@work
Some light-hearted moments to bond with colleagues
and celebrate Team Max... Read all about the latest happenings!
30 The All Star
Customer service is the motto of the energetic team at The Forum Vijaya Mall store in Vadapalani. They ensured the store grossed the highest single day sale of `45 lakh during the festive season!
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Social Initiatives
Starting with the Kerala Relief and Rehabilitation Project, Team Max has been busy doing their bit for the society. We also organised a Get Active module in Karnataka and a Beat Diabetes camp across five cities.
Innovative. 34 Bold. Stylish.
Just like our clothes, our marketing campaigns are cutting edge and trendy. Here is a round-up of the hits from our marketing team.
36 Monsoon Fitness
It’s the best time to lose those extra kilos for, with all the germs in the air, you will be extra careful about what you eat. Plus many more effective tips to keep you in shape!
38 Work-‘Food’ Balance
How to make the right food choices for more energy, better productivity and lesser ailments. Your guide to cleansing and detox!
concept, content & strategy: shveta sahu, Manjira Dutta DesIgn & art DIrectIon: Vipin gupta eDItorIaL: ria Dutta neharika Mathur
prInters: Vishwakala printers no 28, 2nd stage, Industrial suburb, yeshwantpur, Bangalore
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“THE FUTURE OF RETAIL IS ALREADY HERE...” HarsHendra MaHesHwari, Head VM at Max FasHion, on tHe retail industry’s cHanging dynaMics and How Max FasHion is FulFilling tHe Millennial sHopper’s Host oF expectations witH a 360° approacH For its caMpaigns.
The fuTure of reTail isn’T coming. It’s already here. Millennial shoppers are in the driving seat and they bring with them a high degree of technological savviness as well as a host of new expectations for retailers to fulfil. This new breed of shoppers is more connected to devices and data, more comfortable moving seamlessly across multiple media channels, and are generally more informed than ever before. We have understood this very well and with great care have taken steps
that will allow Max as a brand to connect and offer services which are world class. Our key focus is to simplify the communication and offer sharp fashion advice to a customer who is lost in the retail world full of offers and discounts. For the first time in the history of Max, we have recently started a 360° approach for all our campaigns. Women’s Fest had a roaring success to turn the eyeballs for customers across physical and digital platforms. Minimal yet high impact windows, large video
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screens inside stores along with elevated in-store displays were well appreciated by staff and customers both. The collection was featured on all social media platforms like YouTube, Instagram Facebook and maxfashion.com. The campaign was launched across 260+ stores along with a newspaper ad and radio to make Women’s Day at Max a huge success. Within 24 hours we had 2.5 million views for the TVC. With a similar approach, we are targeting all large pan-India campaigns like Max Kids Festival, Youth Fest to reach out to customers above and beyond the usual consumer offer route.
New Max stores are carefully designed to give a clear understanding of the young and mature zones across men’s and women’s division. Elevated profiling gives a clear view of the latest fashion at high levels and categories and basics are kept at eye level and buy level respectively. This new scientific cross merchandising approach towards planogram gives the added benefit of capacity enhancement while look selling becomes the face of every collection to increase the chances of good basket size. With new fashion styles emerging almost every month, we target to offer freshness to a repeat loyal
customer who is looking for a quick dose of the latest fashion. This gets more attractive while a fashion cluster of new imported mannequins is given the best cues of styling to enhance the story. After a successful decade of profitable business, now Max is ready to take its new Digital avatar with impressive LED Video Walls. We have chosen select stores across the Metro cities where a new boost of confidence will be given with facelift to the stores as per 2019 Retail ID Design. Many stores are being addressed to improve store lighting, cashback areas and other hygiene elements along with VM elements like new White Glossy Mannequins to form clusters which will give significant confidence and a wonderful visual experience to the customers. Studies show the new generation of connected shoppers will continue to make most of their purchases in brick-and-mortar stores because online shopping has failed to deliver fully in one critical area: EXPERIENCE. All new digital Max smart stores are equipped with many technological
features and services such as large LED Video Walls for impactful brand communication. There are digital touch screen kiosks to browse the latest fashion and shop for missing sizes/ styles of your choice through a seamless single view of inventory across channels. There are also handheld tabs to assist customers with online shopping @maxfashion.com and dual display POS for latest offers share transparency, WRT billing and display customer loyalty points. Then we have Mobile POS for faster checkout during the peak trading hours, Fitting Room Assistance to quickly service customers during a fitting process, Free Wi-Fi and recharge points and more, along with engaging in-store communication and a few more elements of latest retail experience designs.
Over the next 5 to 10 years brickand-mortar stores and the complete retail experience will undergo a dramatic overhaul. A connected digital store is on its way and soon we will launch STORE OF THE FUTURE, by joining hands with the world’s leading design consultants from London. We are in the design stage to create a new identity for Max stores which will establish Max as the most admired retailer. IT’S TIME TO EMBRACE THE FUTURE. HR 5
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Read and conquer!
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arren Buffet, whose business empire spans a dozen big name brands, spends as much as 80% of his time reading books. As per him, the key to success is not his investing strategy, peer network, or thrifty lifestyle, but his collection of books. Indeed, books not only strengthen and expand one’s knowledge base, but they also trigger new mindsets...
Have some downtime at work? read a book! wHetHer it is related to tHe new trends emerging in tHe workplace or tHose containing age-old business wisdom, books provide key insigHts on How to tackle all kinds of issues. so add corporate reading to your literary pursuits tHis summer and get ready to impress everyone at work!
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to take the risk. But those who did are reaping the rewards. “Be flexible” is the new business mantra. Learn to identify positive change opportunities. People who lead change often move rapidly up the career ladder. Jean Case, the first female chairman of the National Geographic Society, as well as a former executive at AOL, gives five principles for success in Be Fearless: make a big bet, take bold risks, capitalise on failure, look beyond your comfort zone, and prioritise urgency over fear.
WidEn your pErspEctivE Get a wider perspective. The workforce of today has people from diverse cultures. Talk to them and gain insight into the workings of different markets. Include a book or two written by authors from a different culture, such as The Prosperity Paradox by Clayton Christenson, Efosa Ojomo and Karen Dillon, which talks about the economic turnaround in South Korea, and how other nations can experience similar progress. Take business decisions considering backgrounds and cultures.
Build skills Upscale yourself. Build new skills, or enhance existing ones. Be the go-to person for learning new skills! Read up books such as The Culture Code where author Daniel Coyle gives insight and practical ideas to build effective teams. In Pre-suasion, Robert Cialdini outlines a new way to influence and persuade, a key tool for any business model that seeks to grow. For women, Savvy: The Young Woman’s Guide to Career Success by Alice Nagle and Luanne Tierney gives the best tips to get ahead.
soft skills Meeting a potential client? Addressing a gathering? How you present yourself is important. Appear genuine and thoughtful. Pay close attention to your body language. Books such as Presence by Amy Cuddy help you make that great first impression. The Myth of the Nice Girl: Achieving a Career You Love Without Becoming a Person You Hate by Fran Hauser can guide you through thorny workplace situations like how to begin a difficult conversation, and provide icebreaker tips for networking.
EmBracE changE When computers were introduced in the late 90s, not everyone was willing 8
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out-of-thE-Box thinking
With flexible Working hours being the neW Workplace trend, try utilising your “off” hours to catch up on some reading, While you perform “life” tasks during Work hours!
Get noticed. Be bold and willing to experiment; employers welcome candidates who can think radically and introduce positive changes. Adam Grant in his book Originals emphasises that success comes from the instinct of a non-conforming individual. Francesca Gino in Rebel Talent affirms how “rebels” or out-of-the-box thinkers bring positivity to businesses by adding creativity and innovation. So unlock your potential, think differently, and gear up for success.
artificial intElligEncE Keep pace with developments in technology. The work environment of tomorrow is set to operate using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in various
functions. Tools like collaborative work management platforms, automations and templates have increased our work speed. Read relevant books to keep up with the technological future, such as Possible Minds: 25 Ways of Looking at AI, where author John Brockman gives a glimpse of how AI can affect the future workforce.
lEadErship Include books by leading thinkers in your reading list. Understand how business decisions are made, how to motivate people, or simply what the traits of a successful leader in the new work environment are. Learn to distinguish between legitimate competence and mere confidence in Why Do So Many Incompetent Men Become Leaders (And How to Fix it) by Thomas Chamorro-Premuzic. Get tips on what to do when everyone looks to you for answers in The Making of a Manager by Julie Zhuo. Learn to make decisions in uncertainty in poker champion-turned-business consultant Annie Duke’s Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Business Decisions When You Don’t Have All the Facts.
asking thE right quEstions Often the difference between those who get promoted and those who
don’t is who asks the right questions. Look to books for advice on which issues to focus on. Presenting difficult questions in a new way can also attract a positive response. Read more about this in Change Your Questions, Change Your Life by Marilee Adams. Or Former US Defence Secretary, Ash Carter’s memoirs about his career and leadership lessons from running the Pentagon in Inside the Five-Sided Box.
social mEdia managEmEnt While social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter have now become a part of work life, it can easily lead to excess. Even if it’s for official work, create fixed times for social media interactions, and stick to them! Cal Newport in Digital Minimalism offers practical advice: opt out of optional online activities for 30 days and slowly add the ones you need in a sustainable way. On similar lines is Off the Clock: Feel Less Busy While Getting More Work Done by Laura Vanderkam that helps you maintain boundaries in a 24x7 wired world.
tEam managEmEnt How you interact with others affects how the team performs as a whole. Talk to people, understand what drives them. Winning trust is essential in HR 9
for a larger perspective on tHe corporate trends across tHe globe, make sure you lay your Hands on tHese titles... the prosperity paradox: How innovation can lift nations out of poverty Author of several business classics, Clayton Christenson, along with co-authors Efosa Ojomo and Karen Dillon, makes a call for innovation in business by revealing why so many investments in economic development fail to generate sustainable prosperity. He offers a groundbreaking solution for true, lasting change. Zucked: waking up to the facebook catastrophe An early investor of Facebook and mentor to Mark Zuckerberg, Roger McNamee talks about the serious damage Facebook is doing to our society and how he tries to stop it. An insightful read into why one of Facebook’s biggest champions turned into one of its fiercest critics.
eye contact: the power of personal connection Oscar winner for A Beautiful Mind, Brian Grazer proclaims that something as simple as eye contact has a profound impact on relationships and the outcomes of interactions. The book describes encounters with Bill Gates, Eminem, George W. Bush and Kate Moss. An unusual take on networking. we are all the same age now A 75,000-person study leads marketing consultant-turned-author David Allison to conclude that personal values are people’s true motivators. Through “valuegraphics”, he teaches readers to use values-based models to improve organisational efficiency, decrease internal politics and prepare for industry disruption. radical inclusion: what the post-9/11 world should Have taught us about leadership: It highlights how fear of losing control in our fast-paced, complex, highly scrutinised environment is leading managers to build small and intenselyfocused teams. But, learning from 9/11, managers need to relinquish more control and cherish trust at all costs... loonshots: How to nurture the crazy ideas that win wars, cure diseases, and transform industries: Physicist and biotech entrepreneur Safi Bahcall who’s worked on President Barack Obama’s council of science advisors, shows why teams, companies or any group with a mission suddenly changes from accepting ideas to rejecting them. Useful for understanding and building team culture. the moment of lift: How empowering women changes the world: Blended with stories of author Melinda Gates’ own life and of the women she’s met as co-chair at the Gates Foundation, this inspirational book is a call to empower women in all spheres to change the world.
Also, get insight into how your role contributes... if you’re in CSR, read what works in The Enlightened Capitalists by James O’Toole.
takE risks The new business environment is all about taking risks in uncertain situations. Gain strength from the experience of various authors. Learn through Allison Schrager’s experience in An Economist Walks Into a Brothel as she interviews different people to understand risk, such as a professional poker player about how to stay rational when the stakes are high, horse traders in Kentucky on how to diversify risk and minimise losses, and a war general who led troops in Iraq about how to prepare for what we don’t see coming.
today’s multi-cultural environment. Also, consider making team meetings more effective. Take inspiration from Steven Rogelberg’s The Surprising Science of Meetings: How You Can Lead Your Team to Peak Performance.
firEfighting
sElf-groWth Biographies – stories that trace individual growth trajectories, such as Tim Cook: The Genius Who Took Apple to the Next Level by Leander Kahney can be inspiring. Get motivational advice from the world’s top performers, from business people to athletes, in Tribe of Mentors by Timothy Ferris. Self-awareness techniques given by Sandy Abrams in Breathe to Succeed can also help increase creativity and clarity at work. Become your best self by taking tips from Dr Sylvia Lafair’s Best for Understanding Your Baggage.
Bird’s EyE viEW Get a perspective on the larger business environment. Learn what separates startups that disappear to those that become global giants in Blitzscaling by Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh. With a foreword by Bill Gates, the book presents a set of techniques for scaling up an enterprise at a lightning speed to build “massively valuable companies”.
even as you read up books for their content, don’t forget to take tips on hoW to put forWard your point effectively, or successfully conclude a debate!
Are you the one who falls apart in times of crisis, or do you stand strong and lead others to security? Sudden crisis calls for instant decisionmaking, urgent action, and immediate follow-up. Books provide a good knowledge base. Try Firefighting by top economic policy leaders Ben Bernanke, Timothy Geithner and Henry Paulson. Having lived through the 2008 financial crisis, they pen down reasons for the crisis, their decisions, and what lessons the world must learn from it.
gEn x, y and Z Whether you belong to the technologically-led young Gen Z, the somewhat-settled Gen Y, or the older Gen X, learn to be productive. In Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-free Productivity, David Allen gives a new approach to to-do lists. And even if you are in the later stages of life, learn a new skill, work part-time, or join a social organisation. Read Retirement Reinvention by Robin Ryan and Purpose and a Paycheck by Chris Farrell. HR 11
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When Great Minds M
s Meet…
RETAITL MEE
CE 2018-19, N E u L f N o C L A AT ThE NATIoN ook bACk L o T R E h T E g goT To ThE MAx TEAM y, IdENTIfy b E N o g ’s T A h AT ThE yEAR T TRATEgIEs s E R u T u f N o woRk MIssTEps ANd h of suCCEss… T A p E h T k L A To w
“If
everyone Is movIng forward together, then success takes care of itself,” goes a popular adage… with the aim to bring all our employees together and help bond over work as well as play, we organised The national Confluence 2018-19 at The Lalit in goa. This three-day event was filled with both knowledge and fun, where we provided insights into our functional strategies to a core team of 160 members from regions and Corporate. It is our retail strategy meet, a regular feature that was started back in 2008 with a session by relationship management guru homi mulla and a small team. The objectives of the national Confluence have always been to retrospect on the past years of operation, to identify and discuss successes and
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by uphoLdINg ThE ThREE pILLARs of suCCEss: AgILITy, fRugALITy ANd CusToMER- CENTRICITy, wE wILL suRELy AChIEVE ouR goAL!
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failures, and to follow-up on improvement strategies so that the next few years are better for us as a business. This year, our focus has been to work on strategies that will help us achieve a turnover of 1 billion dollars by 2022. and under the excellent and able directorship of our Ceo, mr shital mehta,
we are sure that we shall achieve this goal soon!
whatever we do, there is no way we will not be successful!
to cite his own words, if we work on the three pillars of agility, frugality and Customer Centricity; have the founder’s mentality and the owner’s mindset; possess a front-line obsession and Insurgence in
The ladder of life demands a better version of us with every rung so that we can keep growing, and climbing many more. The same goes for an organisation! and that is why we have revised our guiding
ThE TEAM MEMbERs foCusEd oN buILdINg ThEIR CoMMITMENT TowARds AChIEVINg ‘1 bILLIoN by 2022’ As AN oRgANIsATIoN
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Principles beyond the expected, to adopt new ways of working. here’s what we work by: 1. BE BOLD in our approach and not incremental: we have to go all the way in our pursuit of a target, boldly and full-throttle, and not baby steps at a time. Big changes need big moves! 2. DIFFERENTIATE or Perish: Competition, competition everywhere! a hundred different versions of everything! we can’t afford to blend in and get lost in the crowd. That’s why we have to strengthen our UsPs and clearly show that we are the best. 3. SURPRISE the customers: again, one of the biggest challenges in this bustling world is to keep offering new features and new reasons for people to choose HR 17
us! we have to ensure we don’t become boring and predictable as a brand at any cost. 4. GROWTH is a key mandate: no matter what, growth is the sole goal. Be it monetary gains, increase in the number of outlets or growing customer satisfaction, the only way ahead is forward! 5. SWEAT THE ASSET to improve profitability: we have ample assets as a company or even as a brand, and to increase our profits, we must efficiently utilise all that we have in order to rake in more! 6. FOUNDER’S MENTALITY: Just as while making a film, all the
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members of the cast and crew work in unison to achieve the director’s vision, we too must work as a team with the sole objective of executing our founder’s vision for the better of our company. with this, we come to the highlights of our gathering. a few months before, we had a pre-Confluence workshop at golden Palms in Bangalore, where the max first team (Ceo and Ceo minus one team) met and presented strategies at a broad level, discussed and debated on them and finally came up with 11 projects apart from the functional strategies. This was followed by the national Confluence in goa.
day one of the Confluence began with a bang! Participants enthusiastically dived into canvas creation as separate teams where we put together our key drivers for achieving mIB, followed by the grand launch of the m1B logo where every territory presented their targets in style and took an oath to achieve it. The teams enjoyed the day with lots of other exciting activities and interacted to know each other better, while simultaneously building their commitment towards achieving the goal of ‘1 billion by 2022’ as an organisation. The day ended with scrumptious dinner and soothing music.
day two started with thrilling water sports and hot-air balloon rides – a great early morning perk-up! This was followed by creative presentations which elaborated on the execution plan of our functional strategies. to end the day, we had a fairytalethemed gala dinner. The cherry on the cake – we got to witness some impressive music and
dance performances by talented local artistes! day Three was the last day of the Confluence, where the various teams presented their projects. By noon, we had gone through all the presentations and discussed the way forward. after this, it was time to bid adieu to each other and head
back to our respective cities. The entire experience was hugely rewarding and enlightening. every team returned with renewed energy and commitment to achieve our mission of ‘m1B by 2022’, and of becoming the most trusted value fashion Brand. we look forward to the journey... HR 19
HR the women out there! a) Be proud and have the confidence that you can excel! b) Support other women. Together we can make it a better working world for women. c) Life is about the co-existence of men and women… we need to know where to strike a balance.
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Have you faced BiaS aS a woman profeSSionaL? i have had some bosses who have had biases but more so because i am a single woman who has always been good at work, smart and good-looking. These incidents made me stronger.
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Take 10
Know the person behind the quiet dynamism and unwavering focus that nandini mehta, head of business hr, brings to her job
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advice for working women... Have you come across a person who has it all – tenacity, mental and emotional strength, compassion, passion, determination, grit, ability to tolerate pain and transcend, wear multiple hats, fight odds and still deliver beyond expectations? well, i have not just seen one such person but many – they are the women in this world. So here’s to
your profeSSionaL journey So far... i have had an amazing career path from teaching and operations to training and Hr! i have had the privilege of working with brands such as iTc, TaTa, future group and the Landmark group. max gave me more purpose – till i joined here, i was not sure of what i wanted to do. Here, i have turned around the training and Hr function in the regions. i owe this to the trust that my managers have in me… all along, i have been self-motivated, letting my work speak for itself.
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you Have Been wiTH max for a Long Time... in the initial years, i was not sure if i wanted to continue with Lmg – however, in the last 8 years, this thought has never crossed my mind, and this is because of my reporting managers. also, here Hr works with the brand and the employees to make it a great place to work in with innumerable initiatives supported by the cpo (mr venkat) and ceo (mr vasanth) who has recently moved on, and now our ceo (mr Shital mehta). i have been part of the team delivering on the organisational vision. The value system, my growth journey and the guidance and support of senior management have all been motivators!
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Please share a glimpse of your family life… We are a small, close-
her who knit family. I definitely miss my fat s born succumbed to cancer in 2005. I wa ther and and brought up in Trichy - my mo Both brother & his family still live there. ly got my sons live in Canada – they recent a itself. I married and plan to settle in Canad e quality visit them once a year to spend som mother time. I also make it a point to visit my and brother once in six months.
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What should HR’s top agenda Be? The Human Resources department is the ‘marketing department for internal customers’. It deals with people issues and plays a critical role in understanding the business, the culture of the management – based on which, we develop organizational structures and interventions to ensure that management expectations are met. The department strikes the balance between the organization and employees. HR must ensure that common employee concerns are highlighted and addressed. A successful HR is one which understands and
resolves people issues to support business growth, and perceives business challenges and addresses them through people intervention.
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How do you stay fit & well groomed through it all? At the end of the day, I mull over the day’s events… This helps me stay grounded and recoup. I also love to dress well and being a Virgo, I ensure I am prim and proper at all times. I follow a healthy diet and an exercise regime.
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What are your inspirations? how have they impacted you? I believe in a Super Power and know that I will be able to overcome the most trying situations. I have been inspired by several people, books and movies. One incident that empowered me was my decision to stand on my own feet 20 years ago - against
odds. My boss Mr Venkat has been my mentor and guide over the last seven years. Mr Vasanth has been a great inspiration too for his humility, his simplicity, his perseverance and tenacity. Both are wonderful human beings as well. Having said this, I learn from every person, situation or event and I am a piece of creation that is always work in progress.
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What is a typical Sunday like for you? My Sunday typically is spent in cooking, cleaning, exercising, lazing around in the afternoon and grocery shopping in the evening. I sometimes visit friends and relatives or they come over.
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How do you recharge and stay focussed? I love dancing, cooking, watching movies or catching up with friends. I also love taking off for a retreat or short vacations. Most of all, I love visiting my sons and my childhood home to spend time with my mother and my brother’s family. Doing all this gives me extra energy.
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Glam time il Retoayees’ empl Day
for the workforce
When it Comes to engaging With its employees, max india alWays does it in style. this year, it Was through the max Fash Bash, a one-oF-its-kind group Fashion shoW!
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rom the housekeeping and security staff to helpers, valet parking drivers, electricians, tailors, TLs, PWDs and other outsourced employees in the store… all were invited to be part of the MAX FASH BASH, a special programme organised to celebrate Retail Employees’ Day. The aim was to bring out hidden talents, as well as to give the employees a chance to conceptualise and perform as a team. Held over November and December, this annual employee engagement programme truly represented the ethos of the company – fashion for all!
Round One was for auditions at the store level
on the theme “Ramp Walk Dressed in Your Style”. Teams comprising 6-10 members were chosen and sent on to compete in Round Two.
Round Two, at inter-store level, saw some interesting performances by each team on the theme “Denim it Up”. These were adjudged by an expert panel to shortlist the Top 6 finalists of the region for the Grand Finale. Each finalist got a GV worth `500. Round Three – the Grand Finale saw
enthusiastic, on-point ramp walks by the top six teams. There were two rounds – “Round 1 – College Fash Bash” and “Round 2 – Festive”, conducted in one of the top the malls in the key cities. Choreographed by professionals, these walks set the ramp ablaze with glitter and glamour. The judgement was based on the parameters of synchronisation, theme, costume and presentation. While the 2nd Runners up received a GV worth `7,500, the 1st Runners up got a `10,000 GV. The grand prize for the winners was a GV worth `15,000.
Value Campaign`
Every region prepared two guest performances – a skit or a mime act – on the RED-Grand Finale day. This was part of the “New Values Campaign”. Taking the campaign themes of “Listen”, “Empower”, “Adapt”, “Deliver” and “Integrity”, the teams put up some memorable performances. All participants were given a memento to recognise all the hard work they put in. 22
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the gRanD finale saw the launch of ‘min to max’, ouR special publication that chaRts the 10-yeaR jouRney of max, tRacing ouR exceptional milestones. we also usheReD in maxicon’s latest eDition...
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east andhra Pradesh
karnataka kerala
north
tamil nadu
west
fRom gRaceful festive ensembles to fun casual weaR woRn by the campus cRowDs, the paRticipants showcaseD it all in theiR chaRming Ramp walks 24
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andhra Pradesh
at the regional oFFiCe leVel...`
Teams of 6-10 members were selected at the regional offices to participate in the fashion show with the theme “Ramp Walk Dressed in Your Style”. Finalists from each region competed at the Grand Finale at Corporate on December 12. With a professional choreographer, the finalists performed in two rounds: a three-minute “College Fash Bash” with the respective state/region culture as focus and “Festive”, using props to create a power-packed four-minute performance. Each of the participants received a gift voucher of `5,000. The 2nd Runner Up got a gift voucher of `10,000 and the 1st Runner Up earned a `15,000 gift voucher. The grand prize was a gift voucher worth `20,000. The regional level and corporate level grand finale event management was done by the events management company Cocktails Events across India.
east & Ci
karnataka
north
west
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fun@work
While we work full-throttle to meet deadlines, we also invest time in creating light-hearted moments to bond with our colleagues. Here is a glimpse of some activities we organised to celebrate Team Max!
Birthday party!
New Year Special
Birthdays are a time to enjoy with special people. And who can be more special than the colleagues you interact with every single day? At Max, we celebrate every birthday as a brand policy, where team members get together and sing for the birthday boy or girl. Held at every store, warehouse and regional office, each fun get-together ends on a sweet note with cake tastings!
Welcoming 2019 on a grand note,
the teams from the Regional Offices and the Area Offices organised some fun events, including a host of cultural activities. While the employees showcased their dancing and singing skills, there was also a special cake cutting to herald the New Year, followed by a delicious lunch. Employees received a diary and a pen as a memento. Across the regions, these festivities were organised in the last week of December 2018 and the first week of January 2019. 26
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EspEcially fo WomEn r
Some special activities wer e organised at all Max office s to mark Women ’s Day on March 8. To start with, ea ch woman emplo yee got chocol ate and a red rose ! Some of the ladies were re cognised for their exceptional ef forts with gif ts and bouquets. An d as a finale , a ll the women emplo yees got toget h er to jointly cut a cake, and then eat it too! Needle ss to say, the la d ies were truly del ighted at all the special gestu res of appreci ation.
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When safety is top priority at max, we believe in keeping all kinds of dangers at bay. Between February 4 and 10, we observed Road Safety Week with a series of motivational and awareness programmes for all employees. Senior managers and HR representatives addressed employees on the importance of road safety followed by the screening of a video on the subject. A special quiz was organised which saw enthusiastic participation by the employees. The ones who correctly answered all 10 questions the fastest were given chocolate hampers as prizes. This was followed by all the employees taking the road safety pledge. Several employees also came forward and narrated road mishaps and incidents that they had witnessed. Between March 4 and 10, National Safety Day/Week, aimed at reducing occupational accidents, was observed across Max stores in India. A special poster illustrating the various practices to follow to ensure safety at the workplace was displayed for staff members. Branch managers and HR managers also addressed the staff on the subject and together, everyone took the safety pledge. There was also a picture-based safety quiz organised on unsafe practices identification to help employees understand these important issues in a better way.
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Celebrating our employees
To mark rED (Retail Employee Day), there were festivities galore at each Max store. Each staff member – housekeeping, security, TL, PWD, helpers, valet parking driver, electrician, tailor as well as outsourced employees – was included in the proceedings. It started with a motivating address
by the functional managers. Then, the employees who had completed five and 10 years in the organisation (by December 2018) were felicitated for their sincerity and dedication. For their contribution to onroll and direct contact, select employees were gifted mobile stands from Corporate. Besides, chocolates
were given to all employees for their valuable contribution to the organisation. The employees, in turn, enjoyed the day with special songs and choreography performances. As a fitting end, photo cakes were cut and served along with an appetising meal to all staff members. HR 29
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Customer serviCe is the key word which every staff member in our store believes in and that’s the boon behind the team’s success in every aspect. Our business goal, set by our Territory Head (Mr. Harish Kumar ) and strategically planned and guided by our AM (Mr. Aneesh Kumar) for this financial year, along with our team, are completely dedicated and aligned towards the achieving the targets with the support of
the RO team. We are here to execute all the plans and deliver 100% every time in terms of results by carefully listening to customers and fulfilling their needs. In fact, we are not only known as the anchor store for the Forum Mall in terms of brand value, but also in terms of Customer Service Destiny. We benchmark ourselves in terms of all the milestones previously recorded as it is the general practice since
The Forum Vijaya mall sTore – Vadapalani Forum is one of the strongest legs of Chennai and Tamil Nadu region. Forum Mall store launched on 1st May 2013 starting with 4.1 SPD and has now doubled its performance with 8.8 SPD in its 6th year of operations. With a highly energetic team, the store doesn’t just deliver what is expected, but over performs and contributes a major share to the region. Having grossed the highest single day sale of `45 lakh during the festive season, the store stood out in the region and has been setting the festive mode for all the other stores. With the spearheaded leadership of Mr Chiranjeevi assisted by Mr Gopinath, the team has achieved 103% with 10.8% LFL growth for the year 18-19, raising the bar again and setting up a new milestone in the journey. The high-performance team is all geared up for a new benchmark of 9.5 lakhs SPD and I’m sure the team will deliver the same in the coming FY. I wish the entire team a great year ahead. Aneesh KumAr r, AreA MAnAger
the store opening in 2013. This year, in a much more enthusiastic way, we have crossed the Diwali target and recorded the highest ever single day sale at `45 lakhs with PAN INDIA Ranking. Also, we have completed the financial year 2018-2019 target of `31.10Cr well before the budgeted time line because of the team’s effort and valuable customers who are retained within our store. It is always a fun work atmosphere
as we encourage each other and build up the momentum every time with happy return incentives for every staff member. We have planned to take our SPD to `10 lakhs from our current `9 lakhs by the next financial year with the increase in customer base and customer purchase for our store. Our passion is to make our store an iconic store in terms of customer feel and value towards the brand.
Team Vadapalani is a league of excellence which is committed, focused and self-driven in delivery. The tightly knit team always surprises with their performance. They keep setting new goals which eventually becomes the benchmark for others. They just don’t stop there; they continue to aspire on higher delivery each time. The store has always set standards in terms of the look and feel and the customer experience. I would like to congratulate Chiranjeevi and his team for an excellent performance during the festive season and for having achieved their yearly target of `31 Cr much in advance and closing the year 18-19 at `32 Cr. I’m sure this team will take this store to greater heights that will be aspirational for others. I take this opportunity to wish the entire team a fantastic year ahead and all the best for all their endeavors. hArish KumAr A, TerriTory HeAd
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Social Initiatives December 2018 to March 2019
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Kerala Relief and Rehabilitation Project The recent floods in Kerala in 2018 had left a highly devastating effect in several parts of the state. Landmark Group is supporting Goonj in its rehabilitation efforts in Wayanad district of Kerala. With its time-tested model of involving communities in rehabilitation and reconstruction work, Goonj initiated its Cloth For Work in Wayanad. People worked in rehabilitation & rebuilding works cleaning up operations – from cleaning roads to restoring their waterbodies, and in turn, received the family kit with dignity instead of charitable donations. So far, we have reached a total of 12,012 individuals from Edavaka, Thavinjal and Vellamunda panchayats in Wayanad.
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Get Active
Landmark Group has partnered with Karnataka Heath Promotion Trust (KHPT) since 2017 for the implementation of the Get Active program in Mysore and Chincholi districts of Karnataka. An Urban Primary Health Centre at Kumbarakoppalu, Mysore has been adopted by Landmark and KHPT to strengthen its facilities & processes. The model has implemented Clinical Interventions, advanced Diagnostic tests and Behavior Change management while reaching out to 60,000 beneficiaries. Out of these, 6,500 beneficiaries have been regularly following up, and four Wellness Centers established with 32 Health Volunteers.
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Beat Diabetes
The Beat Diabetes edition this year saw 52,215 customers availing free Blood Sugar testing at 50 Lifestyle and Max stores across five cities. The 10-day Beat Diabetes campaign was conducted from 16th to 25th November 2018.
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Bold. Innovative. Stylish. If fashIon at Max Is bold, innovative and stylish, then can the marketing campaigns be any different? This season has been all about hits from the marketing team at Max Fashion. The biggest triumph was the response to its cult campaign for Women’s Day – Behen Kuch Bhi Pehen. The traction this tagline and campaign received went beyond expectations. A whopping 31% incremental traffic on the e-commerce website resulting in more than 62,000 additional sessions is the tip of the iceberg. In fact, the year began with a bang. ‘Let’s Spring’ was the tagline. The message was to get into the groove for the New Year. We announced the Spring Collection with a play with the word Spring. The message was to Spring into Action. The Get Fit collection highlighted everyone’s New Year resolution – getting fit. Strong on the athleisure trend, the collection experimented with modern silhouettes and nostalgic 1990s prints. Influencer engagement got a lift with stand-up comedian Amit Tandon. Using 34
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the direct approach, personalised messages were sent out to 24 lakh customers. This resulted in a twotime increase in CTR with 1.15 lakh customers engaged. FB followers increased by 25% and Instagram followers were up by 26K.
This was followed by the Indigo Tales collection. This rode the all-natural trend with batiks and calligraphy prints in shades of indigo, burnt orange and lime. The lines were fluid and silhouettes flattering. The Bedazzle collection
the women’S day SpecIal #Behenkuch BhIpehen campaIgn threw conformIty out the wIndow and reached out to the faShIonISta hIdIng wIthIn all women
was all about sparkle and shine. Pinks and shimmer, unicorns and ladybugs, statement tees and net tulle skirts – it had everything to turn a little girl’s dreams into reality. The Spring Maritime collection aimed at the spring travel audience. With sailor stripes and anchor prints, it was a hit with those travelling as well as those aspiring to travel! The Behen Kuch Bhi Pehen campaign really hit the spot. With Max’s philosophy of femme power at the core, the collection was inspired by iconic artist Frida Kahlo. The clothes were in vibrant hues. The patterns flattered all body types. The prints captured Frida’s own looks. But the underlying message was: wear whatever you like. The tagline was a super hit, trending at number 2 on Twitter and generating immense traction on Buzzfeed. After years of being told what suited them, what did not flatter their shape, what “good girls” wore, this campaign saying ‘sister, dress as you please’ was highly appreciated by all women. The narrative was
through a song communicating the thought. The print campaign asked people to ‘Look Beyond My Look’, conveying that a woman is much more than what she wears. The tagline was a big hit on the radio with RJs talking about it on air and posting online. After the campaign, there was a spike in engagements: YouTube subscribers went from 18.6K to 19K within five days. And there was incremental traffic on the e-commerce platform with additional sessions. The marketing strategy evolved with a multi-pronged approach. Instead of the traditional print and in-cinema exposure, the product messaging was disseminated through several unconventional media. There were social media mentions with Twitter and Facebook. Insta feed and Buzzfeed together took the customer engagement tally higher. Innovating engagement through influencers was another thrust area. Out-of-thebox thinking was at the forefront in the use of stand-up comedians and RJs to spread the word. Equally relevant was the personalised messaging to customers for a repeat engagement. The impact was evident in the results. Looking forward to the coming season. It’s all about the youth – GenMe – and the perennial favourite – Denim – more than 100 styles to choose from. HR 35
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the constant rains are likely to push your fitness routine to the backseat. add to it the stress at work and you’re probably ready to give up! worry not... here are some smart tips to ace your fitness game this monsoon.
monsoon fitness
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onsoon is a good time to lose the extra kilos. For with all the germs in the air, you are bound to be extra careful about what you eat. Add two (or one!) 10-minute exercise breaks a day – they’ll go a long way. And follow our golden rules...
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At the desk...
Feel free
While exercising, wear loose, light fabrics, such as cotton or linen to counter the humidity in the air. There’s a range of trendy office wear available in these materials, allowing your skin to breathe. Heavy fabrics like denim or satin tend to block the sweat pores, preventing your skin from breathing freely.
exercisetips for office-goers •
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Create an at-home routine in the morning or evening to beat the rains. Utilise empty conference rooms for short tone-ups. during breaks, mobilise colleagues to join in impromptu dance sessions. Opt for a yoga session with your little one instead of lounging in front of the tV after office.
A simple exercise to strengthen your abs: Sit on the edge of your seat with knees bent and feet on the floor. Gently extend your right leg in front until it’s parallel to the floor. Hold for 10 seconds, release, and repeat with your other leg. Do this five times for each leg.
Fun options
Weekend exercises to complete the routine: •
Power yoga: A freeflowing form of yoga to increase stamina.
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Zumba: A highintensity workout for the entire body.
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Indoor step-ups: Find a big book or a stool... just step up & down as you watch tV!
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Play a sport: Play any sport of your choice and sweat it out.
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Bouldering: scaling low heights in an indoors setting.
eat healthy drink healthy
Nothing supplements exercise better than a proper diet. some quick and light office munchies: diced cucumber, sprouts, roasted chana, soya puffs... Instead of regular tea or coffee, have a steaming cuppa of green tea. Avoid alcohol and sugary drinks – they just pile on the kilos. Instead, keep a water bottle handy and sip regularly. HR 37
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Work‘Food’ Balance with our guide to help you make better food choices, you will have more energy, better productivity and lesser sickness. read on to know more
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et’s face it. Somewhere between the endless meetings, unanswered emails and long to-do lists, you’ve forgotten to take time out to take care of yourself. If you spend your days skipping meals or grabbing a quick bite just to fill you up, drinking lots of coffee through the day or snacking on anything sugary to keep energy levels up, it’s time to make a change. Not only could your work be suffering because of your bad habits, but your body and mind may be too. Thinking you have to overhaul your entire schedule to do this? These simple tips will have you on your way in no time.
SLIPS, TRIPS & FALLS
If you’re already in the habit of cooking for yourself, and even if you’re not, now’s the time to change that. Cooking doesn’t mean setting up a 5-course meal. Keep things simple. Carve some time out during the weekends and pick 5-6 easy recipes to keep you going through the week. Try chunky sandwiches or stews by adding fresh veggies and fragrant sauces and spices. Go traditional with wholesome pulaos, trading the rice for healthier oats or millets and dropping in some flavourful veggies and meat. To keep things light, chop up a salad with fruits or veggies, or put together
a meal smoothie with oats, fruits, nuts and milk. Make a list and shop according to your meal plan; chop up what you need and store in the fridge so that cooking isn’t such a chore. Don’t be scared of leftovers. You can spice them up with some salad on the side or an easy stir-fry.
Pick Right, Eat Right
If you can’t cook or just don’t have the time, choose lighter and healthier options in your office canteen or when you order from the nearby restaurants. Pick curries that have added veggies instead of going only for the meat. Swap the processed flour-filled naans and white bread with whole-wheat rotis or whole-grain bread. Go easy on the rice or bread and eat more veggies and protein to avoid that post-lunch siesta haze. Take a big helping of salad because your body needs those vitamin-rich greens. If your sweet cravings are at an all-time high after lunch, instead of reaching for the dessert, pick a fruit (or a few!).
Time It Right
Sometimes it’s easy to skip lunch because of that never-ending to-do list at work. But eating at the right times is as important as eating the right foods. Start your day off with a healthy breakfast. That doesn’t mean eating a slice of buttered bread on the bus. Aim to eat your lunch before 2 pm, leaving a few hours’ gap between your meals. Save your snacks for after 4 pm, when you’re
Water Your Body Your body is 60-70% water, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that you need to drink lots of it. But the busier you get through the day, the easier it becomes to forget to drink enough. Eliminate or minimise the number of teas/coffees or fizzy drinks you sip on and go straight for pure, natural water. If you don’t like the taste, add a dash of lemon and mint leaves for flavour. Good hydration is linked to increased energy, detoxing the liver, glowing skin, better mood and weight loss. It also helps prevent cramps and joint pains. So follow the 8x8 rule and drink 8 ounces (that’s about 250ml) of water eight times a day. The more water you drink, the better it is for you. So if it’s a hot day or if you’re exercising, make sure to drink extra. Adding in waterrich fruits such as oranges, watermelons, pineapples, lemons and coconuts is a delicious, vitamin-packed, super-hydrating bonus!
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Detox and Cleanse
Summer is a great time to start. It’s not too cold to get out of bed so you can wake up early and enjoy the fresh air. You sweat more and burn more calories, so stretch and strengthen your body to get the blood flowing. Make a routine for yourself and do what you can each day to eat well. Cleanse your body by cutting down on sugar, meat and dairy. Include more whole foods in your diet. Drink enough water, sleep well and manage stress levels. 40
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hungry again or when your energy is low. At dinnertime, your meal should be the lightest and spaced at least 2 hours before you get to bed. This gives your body enough time to digest your food, making for better sleep. Eating at the right times will save you from bloating, avoid digestive problems and may even help lose that winter weight.
Stash Some Snacks
You know that feeling when it’s almost the end of the day and you just need that final push? A little boost of energy goes a long way and you’re probably already thinking about those biscuits with chai, samosas or chaats. They’re filled with processed sugar or mostly deep-fried. Swap these with a medley of healthier snacks. Think roasted nuts, fruit salads, flavoured yoghurt, protein bars or even veggie sticks with a creamy dip. For sweet cravings,
try a simple fruit ice-cream recipe by freezing blended chunks of fruit and adding nuts and honey, or simply get a bar of dark chocolate instead of the milky variety. Stash a few of these at your work desk.
Mindful Eating
At some point, you’ve probably eaten at your desk while trying to meet a deadline or while you’re on an important phone call. Make a habit of getting away from your desk and following the simple 5 S’s: sit, slow down, savour, simplify and smile. It’s easier than it sounds. Just put away your phone, chew slowly and pay attention to the food you’re eating. If you’re not hungry, don’t force yourself to eat just because it is lunch time or because everyone else is eating. Listen to your body. Not only will you enjoy all the complex tastes and textures your food has, but you will also relish your meal more and will feel fuller longer.
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