SUMIT JOSHI
SENIOR RETAIL & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT LEADER | P&L OWNERSHIP | MULTI-CHANNEL
STRATEGY | OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE | TEAM LEADERSHIP
Accomplished Retail leader with over 15 years of experience in driving strategic business growth across diverse retail formats,
including COCO, FOFO, and franchise models. Expertise in optimizing P&L management, leading large-scale market expansions,
and delivering sustained revenue growth by implementing innovative business development strategies. Proven track record in
leading high-performance teams, enhancing operational efficiency, and establishing scalable processes across a network of
large stores. Strong background in strategic partnership building, brand development, and channel management to enhance
profitability and market penetration.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS & EXPERTISE
• Revenue Scaling & Growth: Drove 100x revenue growth at FirstCry, scaling revenue from ₹12L to ₹12Cr/month & successfully
doubled Titan's business in Gujarat through strategic expansion and performance optimization.
• Market Expansion & Franchise Development: Pioneered the expansion of Lakmé Salon in Gujarat, establishing the network
independently, and personally scouted 99% of FirstCry’s 100+ franchises, enabling rapid market penetration.
• Strategic Operations Management: Expert in devising and executing growth-oriented retail strategies, optimizing operational
workflows, and driving business performance through data-driven insights and streamlined processes.
• Leadership & Team Development: Known for outcome-driven leadership, empowering teams, fostering ownership-driven
results, and cultivating a hands-on, anti-bureaucratic culture to maximize operational efficiency and growth.
• Partnership Development & Stakeholder Alignment: Strong track record in establishing and nurturing strategic partnerships,
ensuring alignment across stakeholders to support business growth, and facilitating successful market expansion initiatives.
CORE COMPETENCIES
Retail Location Strategy & Site Feasibility | New Market Entry & Expansion Planning | Retail Budgeting & Forecasting | Lease &
Contract Negotiation | Retail Compliance & Audit Preparedness | CRM & Customer Retention Planning | Inventory Turnover &
Planning | Retail Vendor & Partner Management | Brand Localization & Regional Customization
WORK EXPERIENCE
FirstCry.com 2015 – Present
General Manager - Retail Stores 2022 – Present
• Steering P&L Ownership across COCO (EBO, MBO, FO) and FOFO formats, overseeing 110+ stores with annual revenue
exceeding ₹120 Cr, accountable for strategic and operational performance.
• Driving multi-fold revenue growth to ₹10–12 Cr/month by formulating and executing high-impact retail expansion
strategies across diverse formats.
• Orchestrating cross-functional leadership across Visual Merchandising, Training, Projects, and Merchandising to ensure
consistent brand standards and operational efficiency.
• Standardizing SOPs and compliance frameworks across multiple retail formats to drive operational excellence and enable
scalable growth.
• Commanding cross functional leadership (BD, company ops, franchise ops), while heading centralized control over support
functions to enhance governance and execution rigor.
Deputy General Manager – Retail Expansion & Operation 2019 – 2022
• Administered growth & development of the BabyHub (EBO) and COCO (company-owned) retail channels, significantly
increasing the brand’s presence and performance across strategic locations.
• Led cross-functional teams in driving business development initiatives, improving operational outcomes, and achieving
significant growth in retail performance and profitability.
• Championed execution of retail strategies, overseeing site identification, partner negotiations, and market entry strategies
for targeted regions, ensuring the establishment of a strong retail footprint.
• Designed and executed uniform operational frameworks, ensuring alignment across retail outlets, improving process
consistency, and enhancing the overall customer experience.
Regional Business Manager – West Region (Gujarat & Mumbai) 2017 – 2019
• Spearheaded FOFO business expansion extensively across Gujarat & Mumbai, leading regional strategy, partner acquisition,
and end-to-end operational execution.
• Forged and maintained strategic alliances with Mahindra Ventures post-investment, ensuring alignment between franchise
operations and corporate growth objectives.
• Built & led high-performing regional teams, driving business development, process standardization & operational scalability.
• Consistently surpassed store rollout and revenue KPIs, leveraging data-driven planning and agile execution frameworks.
• Provided oversight on franchise partner lifecycle management, overseeing onboarding, compliance, and brand integrity
across multi-market territories.
Area Business Manager 2015 – 2017
• Scaled regional operations from 3 to 25+ stores across Gujarat and Mumbai within two years, driving an average monthly
revenue of ₹12–13 lakh per store.
• Managed FOFO (Franchise Owned Franchise Operated) model, joining during the brand’s start-up phase to lead ground-up
development across western India.
• Built and institutionalized market penetration strategies, enabling rapid rollout and consolidation in high-priority territories.
• Developed & executed partner onboarding frameworks, ensuring consistency, operational alignment & long-term scalability.
• Functioned as single-point regional leader, managing stakeholder engagement, franchise relations, and coordination with
cross-functional corporate teams.
EARLY CAREER
Operations Manager | Lakme Lever Private Limited | 2014 – 2015
Titan Eye+ / Titan Company Limited | 2008 – 2014
Career Growth: Area Business Manager (2012 – 2014) | Regional Optometrist – South (2011 – 2012) | Optometrist (2008 – 2010)
Assistant Department Manager | Reliance Hypermart Private Limited | 2007 – 2008
EDUCATION
BS (Optometry) | BITS Pilani, Hyderabad
