After having observed the “FAVOURITE JUICE LAND” in Mammallapuram, I wanted to compare it with a high end juice centre in Chennai, namely “FRUIT SHOP ON GREAMS ROAD”. The reason I wanted to write on this shop is because of its unique concept........
The “Fruit shop on greams road” is a high quality juice centre located in the heart of Chennai. It is actually not just a juice centre; it is a chain of juice centres spread across Chennai. The shop serves fruits juice, milk-shake and pudding. Over the last few years the shop has grown from being just another juice shop to a brand name!
Inception: approximately 1997
Started by: Mr Harris and Mr Salim
Concept: Fresh Fruit juice and Milk shake
Working Since: approximately 15 yrs
Owner/Proprietor: Mr Harris and Mr Salim
Also includes 1 manager per branch
Branches:
There are around 14 branches of “Fruit Shop On Greams Road” in Chennai and one in Dubai too!
The USP of this shop is its original concept itself. We have seen and been to many Coffee shops and Lounges. But a Juice pub (if I can call it so) is an original! Right from the ambience to the taste of the Juice, it is original and well done. This is reflected in their menu too, all the names of the drinks are unique. I’ve tried a simple Lime Mint Cooler first.... and I have to admit, it was nothing like the ones I had before. It was extremely rich and refreshing. Personally I feel, the way the juice is served adds value to it. If I can call this packaging, it is definitely impressive. Concept coupled with good quality and packaging form the USP of this shop.
The hygienic ambience and a big side wall with pictures of benefits of various fruits give the customer a very pleasant experience and accentuates the shop.
Just like the “Favourite Juice Land” in Mamallapuram, Word of Mouth works best and fastest for “Fruit shop on Greams Road” too. This is because there are a number of college students who come to the shop during the evenings and as they say youth is very easy to connect with. In addition to Word Of Mouth marketing, the place has also got a web-site to its credit. Visiting cards, brochures and newspaper articles also have worked well for the place. There have been several reviews of this place in newspapers like Hindu and Indian Express. Today, Fruit shop has carved a special position for itself in Chennai and Dubai, people look forward to a glass of healthy and nutritious drink at his place.
Puddings – an extra add on in the menu are attracting kids and have become a rage among them. After being at the store for about one and a half hour and interacting with the manager and the customers I can say that this shop caters to all types of Customers, from kids to senior citizens.
When I queried about the fruit purchase, the manager’s answer pleasantly surprised me. He said that the fruits are bought from Koyambedu (the same place where Mr Sadiq – the owner of “Favourite Juice Land” said he buys from).There is a difference in the purchasing styles though. While Mr Sadiq said that he buys fruits once a day, fruits are bought continuously throughout the day at fruit shop.
There is a separate team to buy fruits at Fruit shop, this team just purchases the fruits from Koyambedu and distributes it to the branches as and when they require. Here again, the Manger insisted that there are rarely any days when there have been left overs. Fruits purchased are stored in cold storages situated in a separate section in the kitchen. This is done to maintain the freshness.
The revenue, rent and salary details were kept confidential by the manager. There was noway I could convince him to give me a certain idea. This was one of the major difference I found when I compare both the shops.
The few things I could infer from the chat were that, there are around 800 customers who walk into the shop each day. On an average each juice is priced around 60 INR.
Orange Punch, Chocolate milk shake and Lime mint cooler are the fast movers here.
It has been rated by Ford India as one of Chennai’s 2 most recognised locations. It has been mentioned in the iconic Lonely Planet Travelogue.
There are a wide range of customers who throng the Fruit shop every day. There is a lot of young crowd from morning through evening and there are a lot of families who come in at night. On interaction I’ve been told that they come here not only to try a fresh fruit juice but also for the high quality service the shop offers.
As the Fruit shop has already become a brand name in Chennai and Dubai, the owners want to take confidence from this and try to explore new avenues in future. More stores are to be opened in Chennai. Franchise model is also soon to be offered to many franchisees from all over the country.
I would like to conclude by blog by saying that although the "Favourite Juice Land" at Mamallapuram and "Fruit Shop On Greams Road" vary in size and reach, both the stores have a similar primary objective - To deliver Quality ang Hygenic fruit juice.
This conversation with the managers of both these places has reinforced my belief that perseverance and a healthy state of mind is the key to success........ So now it’s time to ask do we want to drink it the healthy way?
Bindu
Concept
General Details of the shop
Inception: approximately 1997Started by: Mr Harris and Mr Salim
Concept: Fresh Fruit juice and Milk shake
Working Since: approximately 15 yrs
Staff:
Owner/Proprietor: Mr Harris and Mr SalimAlso includes 1 manager per branch
Branches:
There are around 14 branches of “Fruit Shop On Greams Road” in Chennai and one in Dubai too!
USP
The USP of this shop is its original concept itself. We have seen and been to many Coffee shops and Lounges. But a Juice pub (if I can call it so) is an original! Right from the ambience to the taste of the Juice, it is original and well done. This is reflected in their menu too, all the names of the drinks are unique. I’ve tried a simple Lime Mint Cooler first.... and I have to admit, it was nothing like the ones I had before. It was extremely rich and refreshing. Personally I feel, the way the juice is served adds value to it. If I can call this packaging, it is definitely impressive. Concept coupled with good quality and packaging form the USP of this shop.The hygienic ambience and a big side wall with pictures of benefits of various fruits give the customer a very pleasant experience and accentuates the shop.
Marketing Strategy
Although the shop had initial glitches back in the 90’s........ it is now so well established that it has many regular customers. There is absolutely no doubt in calling it a brand and its journey is definitely a success story! I tried to gather a few of their marketing strategies while I was conversing with the shop’s manger.Just like the “Favourite Juice Land” in Mamallapuram, Word of Mouth works best and fastest for “Fruit shop on Greams Road” too. This is because there are a number of college students who come to the shop during the evenings and as they say youth is very easy to connect with. In addition to Word Of Mouth marketing, the place has also got a web-site to its credit. Visiting cards, brochures and newspaper articles also have worked well for the place. There have been several reviews of this place in newspapers like Hindu and Indian Express. Today, Fruit shop has carved a special position for itself in Chennai and Dubai, people look forward to a glass of healthy and nutritious drink at his place.
Puddings – an extra add on in the menu are attracting kids and have become a rage among them. After being at the store for about one and a half hour and interacting with the manager and the customers I can say that this shop caters to all types of Customers, from kids to senior citizens.
Fruit Purchase Details:
When I queried about the fruit purchase, the manager’s answer pleasantly surprised me. He said that the fruits are bought from Koyambedu (the same place where Mr Sadiq – the owner of “Favourite Juice Land” said he buys from).There is a difference in the purchasing styles though. While Mr Sadiq said that he buys fruits once a day, fruits are bought continuously throughout the day at fruit shop. There is a separate team to buy fruits at Fruit shop, this team just purchases the fruits from Koyambedu and distributes it to the branches as and when they require. Here again, the Manger insisted that there are rarely any days when there have been left overs. Fruits purchased are stored in cold storages situated in a separate section in the kitchen. This is done to maintain the freshness.
Statistics:
The revenue, rent and salary details were kept confidential by the manager. There was noway I could convince him to give me a certain idea. This was one of the major difference I found when I compare both the shops.The few things I could infer from the chat were that, there are around 800 customers who walk into the shop each day. On an average each juice is priced around 60 INR.
Fast Movers:
Orange Punch, Chocolate milk shake and Lime mint cooler are the fast movers here.
Other Facts:
It has been rated by Ford India as one of Chennai’s 2 most recognised locations. It has been mentioned in the iconic Lonely Planet Travelogue.
Customers:
There are a wide range of customers who throng the Fruit shop every day. There is a lot of young crowd from morning through evening and there are a lot of families who come in at night. On interaction I’ve been told that they come here not only to try a fresh fruit juice but also for the high quality service the shop offers.
Other Offerings:
In addition to normal service, Fruit shop undertakes party orders and has a home delivery section too. This is definitely adding to their revenues they say.
Prospective Plans for the future:
As the Fruit shop has already become a brand name in Chennai and Dubai, the owners want to take confidence from this and try to explore new avenues in future. More stores are to be opened in Chennai. Franchise model is also soon to be offered to many franchisees from all over the country.I would like to conclude by blog by saying that although the "Favourite Juice Land" at Mamallapuram and "Fruit Shop On Greams Road" vary in size and reach, both the stores have a similar primary objective - To deliver Quality ang Hygenic fruit juice.
This conversation with the managers of both these places has reinforced my belief that perseverance and a healthy state of mind is the key to success........ So now it’s time to ask do we want to drink it the healthy way?
Bindu
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