MAM
Pepperfry unveils its first concept store ‘Studio Pepperfry’
MUMBAI: Pepperfry.com, India’s leading online Furniture & Home Marketplace launched its first concept store “Studio Pepperfry” in Mumbai today. The opening of the 2,500 sq. ft. studio represents the brand’s physical presence for showcasing products in an offline retail style setting. It has been conceived as an experience zone for customers, who are looking to enhance their living spaces. In addition to being the largest furniture retailer in the country, Studio Pepperfry forms an integral part of the brand’s strategy to provide design thought leadership and services to the evolving Indian home shopper.
“Studio Pepperfry” showcases a curated range of furniture from Pepperfry’s online portfolio and serves as a design inspiration for customers interested in furnishing their homes. It has iPad wielding interior design consultants to understand consumers’ requirements and provide them consulting services on various aspects of design, specifically related to furniture. These experts have in-depth knowledge of the Pepperfry furniture portfolio. They can take customers through the various designs showcased at the Studio and the extended online Pepperfry range to suit their individual tastes and preferences.
Additionally, the Studio offers customers the advantage of availing services ranging from customization to advisory related to design and other helpful tips enabling them to make the right purchase decision.
Pepperfry understands that shopping for furniture is a complex process especially, for millennial customers setting-up homes for the first-time. They have high aspirations around design that reflects their global outlook and sense of self. These customers seek the best in terms of quality without compromising on their busy lifestyle and packed schedules. At Studio Pepperfry they can benefit from a vastly superior furniture experience by acquainting themselves with cutting-edge designs to suit their contemporary selection. Besides that they can also understand and witness the quality and finish of Pepperfry furniture products.
Talking about the first brick and mortar venture Ashish Shah Founder & COO Pepperfry said, “Customers are always posed with questions around quality and assurance while buying a high-value item like furniture. At Studio Pepperfry they will be able to get a better understanding of the quality of products and services that we offer. It will also help us build their confidence and trust in the brand.”
He further adds, “Our Studio represents the best and latest from our range of thousands of furniture designs that are available on our marketplace. We looking at the Studio purely as an experience centre eventually all the orders will have to be placed on the website. We want our customers to enjoy the whole experience of designing their homes by taking them one step closer to choosing the right furniture to build their dream homes.”
Pepperfry has the largest range of furniture online and offers free shipping and installation on all furniture items and ships to more than 1000+ towns in the country through its partners and their own last mile delivery infrastructure. The brand will introduce 16 similar concept stores in major metros by the end of 2015.
Digital
OpenAI’s Stargate lead Peter Hoeschele exits with two senior leaders
Trio behind compute push set to join new startup amid leadership reshuffle
SAN FRANCISCO: Peter Hoeschele, a key figure behind OpenAI’s early Stargate data centre initiative, has exited the company, according to a report by The Information.
The departure is part of a broader leadership shift, with two other senior executives, Shamez Hemani and Anuj Saharan, also set to leave in the coming days. All three are expected to join the same new startup, although details about the venture remain under wraps.
The trio played a central role in OpenAI’s Stargate effort, an initiative aimed at building large-scale data centre capacity in-house to reduce reliance on external infrastructure providers. Their exits mark a notable moment for the company’s compute strategy as it continues to scale rapidly.
OpenAI spokesperson said in a statement to The Information, “We’re grateful for the contributions Peter, Shamez, and Anuj have made to OpenAI and wish them the very best in what comes next.” The company also pointed to the recent appointment of Sachin Katti to lead its industrial compute organisation, signalling continuity in its infrastructure roadmap.
OpenAI has indicated that it does not plan to directly replace Hoeschele’s role, suggesting a possible restructuring of responsibilities within the team.
As competition intensifies in the race to build next-generation AI systems, leadership changes in core infrastructure teams are likely to draw close attention. For now, the spotlight shifts to what this departing trio builds next, and how OpenAI adapts as it scales its ambitions.
