Groxery: The ‘store next door’ in Srinagar

For 28-year-old Malik Aadil, his first job in south city Bangalore in Karnataka was his last. After working with a prominent e-commerce company for two years soon after completing his MBA, Adil decided to resign and create his own niche.

“After I quit my job, I had a lot of brainstorming sessions about what to do, where to start and what to start,” he recollects. “Since I have come from a MBA background with a specialization in Advertising, I decided to launch a company of my own.”

   

Adil met his like-minded people, few of them business minded and few of them technocrats. “Probranding365 was born,” he says. “Since my employer earlier was very happy with my work. I went to him with a proposal to be its first client. That is how my journey started,” he says. “Currently we have few big names in the marketing as our clients including Royal Enfield and others.”

While Adil was aiming to expand its Advertising company in Bangalore, the global COVID pandemic struck the world. “I had to move to Kashmir. I sat and decided to work on a lot of things… But every time one or the other reason would become a bottleneck. One day while I was going through some notes in my diary, launching an e-commerce site propped up,” he says, adding “I immediately swung into action. Now with many challenges and resource constraints, I was aiming to give Kashmir its unique e-commerce story.”

Now Groxery is a first-of-its-kind e-commerce application platform in the valley of Kashmir. With ‘everything’ on its list from fresh grocery to custom-cut chicken, homecare to pet care, electronics to stationery, Malik Aadil’s ‘The Store Next Door’ venture has been a ray of hope for many in Kashmir.

Malik found himself in his home, Bandipora, during the pandemic lockdown and witnessed the hassles of everyday life of Kashmiris. With a background of Masters in Business Administration, and experience in marketing for the big brands of India from his other brainchild, Probranding365, Malik knew what he ought to do.

Groxery is an amalgamation of well-thought ideas and heartfelt intentions to be of service to the people. Malik began his journey with a team of close friends and 40 employees to ensure smooth working of the system. Malik had to fight the extreme weather conditions and the slow 2G internet speed in the valley. While the internet plays a major role in every step of the process of Groxery, from downloading, to ordering and delivering, Malik managed to keep his business afloat and how! With over 40,000 downloads under 2G connection and over 250-300 orders every day, Groxery became an instant hit with their 90-minutes guaranteed delivery. The team is now serving 50 pin codes across Kashmir.

Malik doesn’t limit this store next door, Groxery, with just the everyday essentials. He walks a step further and brings home to the people what no one had done before. Kandurwaan, the bread of Kashmir without which no breakfast feels complete, is now on Groxery’s list of deliverables.

“Groxery is the first online platform to bring the kandurwaan home to bring happiness to the city”, says Malik Aadil. They also deliver 100% fresh and halal chicken from certified farms to the doorstep in the desired cuts, which is again an absolute first in Kashmir.

On being asked about his thoughts on the return of 4G, Malik tells us with a smile spread across his face, “We have been waiting for this a long time. More than 10,000 downloads and a 20% increase in the number of orders have transpired after the return of 4G. Our app versions have been updated for Android as well as iOS for better usability.” He shares his expansion plans with us that were slowed down due to the pandemic and 2G. “In the coming week, Groxery is starting in Pulwama, Ganderbal, Badgam, and Jammu. Our team is of more than 100 employees at the moment to ensure Groxery deliveries are made with precision and on-time.”

Malik believes in giving back to society. He purposes to make Groxery accessible and affordable to one and all across the valley and believes that it is on its way to becoming a household name. With his eyes full of dreams and ambitions, Malik Aadil promises to grow his workforce with Kashmiris, ensuring employment while he’s busy planning what people and homes in Kashmir need next from this e-commerce platform. Malik believes the return of 4G will boost and develop the business manifolds. Groxery is here to stay and grow to be ‘Your Store Next Door’ with products that cover your needs and wishlists.

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