Brands
Amitabh Suri named CEO of Flying Machine
Ahmedabad: Arvind Fashions is doubling down on execution. The Lalbhai Group company has appointed Amitabh Suri as chief executive officer of Flying Machine, adding the role to his current mandate as ceo of U.S. Polo Assn. in India, as it recalibrates its brand engine for a fast-shifting apparel market.
The move puts Flying Machine, India’s first homegrown denim label, under a leader known for scaling lifestyle brands at speed. The brand will continue to anchor itself around youth-led fashion, denim-first design and relevance for millennials and Gen Z, segments where competition is intensifying.
Suri brings over 25 years of experience across apparel and lifestyle retail, spanning brand building, retail operations, supply chain leadership and omni-channel strategy. At Arvind Fashions, he has grown the U.S. Polo Assn. into one of India’s largest casualwear brands, clocking revenues of over Rs 1,800 crore across menswear, womenswear, kidswear, footwear and innerwear.
Before joining Arvind, Suri spent 18 years at Indian Terrain Fashions, transforming it from a wholesale-led business into a listed retail brand with turnover reaching Rs 415 crore. His international exposure includes a stint as ceo of Iconic at Landmark Group, where he oversaw operations across the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
Earlier, he served as president for exclusive brands and private labels at Shoppers Stop, managing a Rs 800 crore portfolio that included Jones New York, French Connection UK, Back to Earth and Glam X Disha Patani.
With Suri now steering two of Arvind’s key brands, the message is clear. In a market where denim is being rewritten for a younger, faster consumer, Flying Machine is betting on seasoned hands to move quicker, sharper and louder.
Brands
Flipkart completes reverse flip to India ahead of IPO
Walmart-owned e-commerce giant shifts domicile from Singapore to Bengaluru
MUMBAI: Flipkart has completed its restructuring to move its parent company from Singapore back to India, marking a key milestone as the Walmart-owned marketplace prepares for a potential initial public offering on Indian stock exchanges, ET reported, citing people aware of the matter.
The move, often referred to as a “reverse flip”, relocates the company’s legal home to India and aligns its corporate structure more closely with its largest market. It also clears an important regulatory step for Flipkart as it explores listing plans.
As part of the restructuring, several Singapore-based entities have been merged into Flipkart Internet Private Limited, which will now serve as the main holding company for the entire group.
The consolidation brings a number of major businesses directly under the Indian parent company. These include fashion platform Myntra, logistics arm Ekart, travel booking platform Cleartrip, healthcare marketplace Flipkart Health, and fintech venture Super.money.
Under the new structure, global investors including Walmart, Microsoft, SoftBank, and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board will hold their stakes directly in the Indian entity rather than through an overseas holding company.
The redomiciliation required approval from the Indian government because Chinese technology company Tencent owns around a 5 to 6 per cent stake in Flipkart. Under Press Note 3, investments from countries sharing a land border with India require prior government clearance.
Flipkart had already secured approval from the National Company Law Tribunal in December. With the latest clearance from the central government, the company has now obtained all the regulatory approvals needed to complete the relocation, ET reported earlier.
Flipkart had originally shifted its holding structure to Singapore in 2011 to tap global capital more easily. However, as India’s capital markets have matured, several start-ups have begun returning their domiciles to the country ahead of public listings. Companies such as Razorpay, Groww, and Meesho have taken similar steps.
The company is now expected to move ahead with its IPO preparations and has begun early discussions with merchant bankers. According to people familiar with the matter, Flipkart could file its draft prospectus later this year, setting the stage for what may become one of the most closely watched listings in India’s e-commerce sector.
Flipkart has been majority-owned by Walmart since 2018, when the US retail giant acquired a 77 per cent stake in the company for $16 billion in one of the largest e-commerce deals globally.
