Pepperfry Appoints Akhilesh Chitlange as Vice President, Studio Activation

Pepperfry, India's no.1 furniture and home products marketplace today announced the appointment of Akhilesh Chitlange as vice president, Studio Activation. In his role, Akhilesh would be responsible for leading the organisation's omni-channel efforts across Company-Owned Company-Operated (COCO) and Franchise-Owned Franchise-Operated (FOFO) Studio businesses. The omnichannel model has been one of the strongest growth pillars for Pepperfry over the past few years and the brand has plans to continue expanding its omnichannel presence significantly. Akhilesh’s appointment is effective immediately and will be based out of the Pepperfry Corporate Office in Mumbai.

In the last 2 years, Pepperfry Studios have emerged as a key touchpoint for consumer engagement and a great marketing channel. Currently, Pepperfry has a studio footprint across 57 cities in India with 110+ studios and aims to reach 200 Studios by March 2022. The offline expansion is in line with the company’s aim to penetrate niche markets and offer the largest furniture and home products catalogue in the country. These studios are experience centres that offer customers a first-hand experience of various types of woods, materials, colour and fabric swatches that helps them make the right purchase decision.

Commenting on his appointment, Ashish Shah, co-founder & chief operating officer, Pepperfry said, “Studio Pepperfry is a key growth driver of our business and already contributes to around 40% to our topline. We want to continue expanding our footprint by deepening our presence in top markets through own stores and bringing in more entrepreneurial spirit into the business through our Franchisee Program in Tier I and Tier II cities. As we accelerate, Akhilesh’s business acumen and expertise in managing complex sales systems across large FMCG companies will help us bring in consistency and excellence in providing a great customer experience across 100s of studios spread across the country. We welcome Akhilesh to the Pepperfry team and wish him great success in his endeavours.

Akhilesh Chitlange, vice president – Studio Activations, Pepperfry said, “I'm excited to be a part of Pepperfry's journey. The company has undisputedly built the largest omni-channel business in the furniture and home products segment in India. This is a great opportunity for me to help develop a future-proof business team and drive revenue growth in line with the company’s vision. Look forward to grow with the team onward and upward.”

Akhilesh will be working closely with the leadership team to build a world-class omnichannel sales system that delivers better business results and customer experience.

With a career spanning over 10 years, Akhilesh has covered a wide spectrum of Business & Corporate roles spanning Channel Sales, Trade Marketing, Sales Development verticals in the FMCG space. Prior to joining Pepperfry, Akhilesh was the Trade Marketing Head at Marico Limited. Previously, he has also worked with GSK Consumer Healthcare India and Britannia Industries Limited.

Akhilesh is a post-graduate in Sales & Marketing and holds a degree in Chemical Engineering.