Notes from the road

What moving garments across seven states has taught us, written for the retailers, brands and investors we work with.

Retailers
Five checks before you sign with a garment distributor in Northeast India
Your margin is decided before stock ever reaches the rack. Visit cadence, fill rate, claim discipline: the checklist we would use on your side of the counter.
10 June 2026 · 4 min read
Brands
The entry playbook for apparel brands coming into Northeast India
Seven states, distinct tastes, and retail built on decades-old relationships. How to sequence a market entry so the first two seasons pay for the third.
18 May 2026 · 3 min read
Investors
The four places first-time apparel store owners lose money
Deadstock, people, footfall, buying. Most first stores underperform in the same four places. Who should carry each risk, and what to ask before you invest.
22 April 2026 · 3 min read
Investors
What ‘we run it, you own it’ actually covers
Managed retail sounds like a slogan until you list who does what. A plain-language walk through the split between owner and operator, task by task.
27 January 2026 · 4 min read
Brands
What to ask a regional distributor before you sign
Warehouse, coverage, claims discipline, market feedback. The questions that separate a distribution partner from a freight forwarder with a signboard.
21 October 2025 · 4 min read
Retailers
How a 20-day visit cycle protects your season
Stock rotation, claims and reorders all depend on one thing: somebody from your distributor standing in your store on a fixed date. The number matters.
8 July 2025 · 4 min read
Investors
MBO or EBO: which store format fits your property?
Landlords and first-time investors in Northeast India usually face this choice first. The honest answer depends on your catchment, not your taste in brands.
15 April 2025 · 4 min read
Brands
What a shop-in-shop programme actually involves
An SIS counter looks simple from the outside: a branded bay inside someone else's store. The work behind it decides whether it earns its floor space.
10 February 2025 · 4 min read

Some answers only come from a conversation.