L.T. Pagarani

May 01 2021

DEMAND FOR EARTH-FRIENDLY FOOD IS ANOTHER AREATHATWILL EMERGE STEADILY” L.T. Pagarani says digital pathways should continue to build cross-border trade in the coming five years

Q

Chairman

WHILE CHOITHRAMS, ONE OF Dubai’s leading supermarket chains, was founded by Thakurdas Choithram Pagarani in West Africa in 1944, his son L.T. Pagarani is the force behind its impressive transformation over the years, especially in the GCC, where it boasts about 70 stores, of which 45 are in the UAE. Under his guidance, Choithrams’ grounded approach to business, focus on sustainability and giving back to the community has impacted healthcare, education and food supply chain.

Pagarani’s biggest leadership lesson learned in 2020 was a renewed emphasis on mindfulness. “As a business we have always operated around the ‘Full of Goodness’ promise as our north star, but the pandemic has given us an opportunity to extend the ambit of our approach, become more participatory. Our collaborative approach has been the biggest learning. We have managed to stay united, taken good care of each other and provided jobs to those who had lost theirs due to the immediate impact of the pandemic, for example, restaurant delivery personnel.

“Our response to customer needs were always in sync, but managing inventories, pricing and demands at scale and in line with social distancing norms in a fast-changing environment was a revelation of what an inspired team of professionals can achieve.”

Earth-friendly offerings

Asked what he believes will be the biggest economic game changer over the next five years, Pagarani says, “The old

Adage of ‘global reach, local touch’ is being re-expressed almost symbiotically with the wide-scale embracing of digital tools,” adding that the pandemic has seen transactions increased threefold on digital platforms.

“Digital pathways should continue to build crossborder trade in the coming five years. Demand for earthfriendly food is another area that will emerge steadily. We

Are seeing this trend grow, and it will not be limited to food alone, how food is grown, where it is grown, what is its carbon footprint, how food is packaged to offset and reduce waste will continue to become salient features in consumption habits.”

Sustainable investment

Choithrams recently invested in a 2.7MW solar project in Dubai that turns warehouse rooftops into a source of energy, expected to cover 80 percent of its needs.

He says Choithrams is about the world of food – a socially responsible enterprise that has over 75 years, operating

Across the spectrum of food systems in Europe, Americas, Asia and Africa. “Employing more than 9,000, and serving a market of over 100 million, we see nurturing of sustainable goals as the essence growing trade opportunities between India and the UAE. India represents for the UAE a vast ‘twin-fold granary’.

“One is the fabulous array of agri-commodities, harnessing of technology and seed sustainability. The other is an equally fertile granary of ideas and a nursery of innovations. The UAE’s role as an enabler and facilitator is well established, it is a wonderful exchange of capabilities.”