Royal Enfield CEO Siddhartha Lal is shifting cogs quicker than ever. Having recorded a consistent growth rate of over 50 per cent in the last two years, his revered motorcycle brand’s still gunning for a greater market share at a time when global motorcycle sales are in a slump. Yet, going by his recent moves, Lal’s work has only just begun.
Siddhartha Lal isn’t given to false appearances. As custodian of Royal Enfield – the world’s oldest motorcycle brand – he wears a heavy crown, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at him. In any other scenario, an entrepreneur of his heft would choose a relatively sombre setting for a rendezvous point. Not Lal, who prefers to meet at Royal Enfield’s apparel store in Khan Market, New Delhi. He casually strolls in, dressed in an RE branded T-shirt, gladiator sandals and camo joggers, sporting his trademark curls with facial scruff that appears to have been nurtured over a long, contemplative cross-country motorcycle trip.
The store itself has a traditional British biker café aesthetic, though Lal informs me that there was a time when the average Royal Enfield showroom wasn’t much more than bricks and mortar, with a couple of chairs thrown in. It’s hard to picture such a dystopian setup. There’s a glistening, bobber-style custom bike propped atop a large marble counter, flanked on all sides by the latest Royal Enfield merchandise, apparel and accessories that milk over a century’s worth of classic British motorcycling glory. This is just one of 675 Royal Enfield stores across the country. The subtext? Business is good.
This story is from the May 2017 edition of GQ India.
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This story is from the May 2017 edition of GQ India.
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