Ankush Bhatia

Investing in F&B Retail, Cloud Kitchen and Entertainment based out of Muscat, Oman.

Our first home grown brand Privé Gastro Lounge opened in July 2017 and work underway for Cloud Kitchen, QSR Brand and few more F&B Brands.

Creating Entertainment District in Sector-29, Gurgaon, India on 35 Acres land. Development includes already launched Water Theme Park(Oyster Beach-Launched), Mall under construction & design(2.5Lac Sq.ft), Entertainment & F&B Tower (10L Sq.Ft).

Other Projects: Advisor on Virtual Reality Project -REDISCOVR

Managed, Developed & Expanded the portfolio of 3 Hotels, 30 Varied F&B Stand-Alone Brands, Central Kitchens, Ice Cream Manufacturing Unit etc with an annual turnover exceeding USD 13 Million Appx (Rs.80 Cr Appx.) and 2000 plus employees. F&B Brands are diversified into multiple formats of Indian, Oriental, Mediterranean, Casual Diner, Specialty Bar, Multi-Cuisine Buffet, QSR’s, Ice-Cream Stores etc. Hotels Portfolio has 2 boutique hotels and 1 three star hotel with a total inventory of 220+ rooms.

Gastro is part of Vistaar Group having interests in producing Indian & International Cinema, Celebrity Management, Entertainment & Hospitality Businesses. Joined for an assignment of one year to assist and create a new Hospitality & Entertainment Company setting up India’s largest chain of F&B verticals. Responsible for the overall business creation

Based out of Muscat, Oman was responsible for setting-up Hospitality & Entertainment Company in Oman and later in rest of the GCC & India with various verticals like Lounges, Restaurants, QSR's, Advertising & Events firm, bring in international franchise operations etc. First venture "Zouk- The Premium Lounge" has already been independently set-up in Crowne Plaza, Muscat and has been a huge success. Awarded the Visa Process Unit for the Indian Embassy. Last was involved for an International QSR franchisee entry
• Conceptualizing, designing, executing the Zouk brand within short period.
• Independently launched the highly successful Zouk - The Premium Lounge at Crowne Plaza, Muscat
• Managing of all the necessary local permissions and processes involved in starting a new business in Oman.
• Hiring of the Team within the limitations of visa issuance
• Understanding of the local culture, customer preferences & market dynamics
• Implementing SOPs & Training tools for efficient operations & adherence to International Norms
• Maintaining strict Hygiene standards across all the retail Stores in this critical business.
• Developing new store locations for retail stores thru viability study & proper trade area mapping for business opportunities
• Monitoring Business performance on sales & cost parameters and aligning the same as per targets
• Guiding the Ops Team to drive consistent results thru regular business reviews & strategic Planning
• Brand Creation & Management, Media & Public Relations
• Business Development with potential International Franchisees, retail and entertainment concept owners, International Players coming to Oman, Service & Project Consultants
• Identification of New Places, Contracts, Negotiations with Property Owners & various parties associated for new businesses.
• Creating of new Concepts, Business Plans, Budgeting and P&L Management
• Managing of the Daily operations and the senior management team.Creating Scalable Business Models

Great India Hospitality Company & Great Indian Nautanki Company are ventures promoted by Wizcraft International and were in the process of setting up and operating a series of Theme-based Bars & Restaurants, Star Hotels & Convention Centers and India's answer to Moulin Rouge & Broadway.

Was responsible for developing, managing and operating the brands below:

• Kingdom of Dreams (Bollywood Theme Park): This project has been set up at a total 21 acres of land with a total investment of $55 Million (not including the land cost) in the heart of Gurgaon, India and is the Centre for Entertainment & Performing Arts. The Project is aimed to promote values of Rich Indian Heritage and Culture via means of attracting Foreign and Indian Tourists through various events & entertainment programs, stage shows and theatrical extravaganzas- Bollywood’s Answer to Moulin Rouge. The project includes the Big Fat Indian Wedding and also showcases excerpts from the Great Indian Mythological Stories in the form of huge musicals, boasting outstanding choreography & production values. Besides this The Kingdom of Dreams offers food courts & bars serving varied Indian Cuisine & Beverages, Arts & Crafts Village, IIFA Café, Merchandising outlets, showcasing & retailing Indian handicrafts etc.

• IIFA Bar & Café: Conceptualized & executed IIFA Bar & Cafe at Kingdom of Dreams, Mumbai & Hyderabad International Airports showcasing the magic of Indian Cinema (Bollywood) through the brand experience of IIFA (International Indian Film awards)

• Howzatt: Cricket Theme Bar & India’s First Micro-Brewery serving freshly brewed gourmet beer. Currently flagship outlet is operational in Galaxy Hotel, Gurgaon. Efforts were on to open in Maharashtra and International Airports in Mumbai & Delhi. Cricket Celebrity visits were organized on regular basis.

• The Monk: Premium Oriental Cuisine Restaurants- Currently operational in Galaxy Hotel. A First-of-its kind concept in India and a completely indigenous idea. Immediate planned opening were the International Airports.

Key responsibilities included overall development of these Brands and creating of World Class Entertainment Destinations by way of marketing, celebrity endorsements & visits, event calendars, signing up of celebrities from Indian Film Industry, state of the art production facilitation set-ups, liasioning with international technical experts, tourism boards and event content developers etc. Reported to the Board of Directors.

Attainments:

• Successfully created, developed and launched brands like Howzatt!, The Monk & IIFA Bar & Café.

• Involved in the conceptualizing process, project management and brand development of Kingdom of Dreams

• Efficiently consolidated & improved the operations of the Brand across the country in line with the International Norms.

• Created the Franchise module of the F&B brands.

• Involved in the tender process of the Hospitality set-up at Delhi, Mumbai & Hyderabad Airports.

http://www.kingdomofdreams.in/
http://www.iifa.com/

(Essel Group is India's Leading Group in Entertainment & Hospitality. I was Business head of Sprit Sports (SSPL) & Pan India Paryatan Limited (PIPL) which are part of the Essel Group having brands like Zee Television, DNA Newspaper, Playwin Lotto, Essel World, Water Kingdom, Dish DTH, Fun Republic Cineplex's & Malls, Essel Propack etc.

Joined PIPL-Essel Group as Head of new businesses and was also responsible for the day to day affairs of Essel World and Water Kingdom till April 2007 with reporting to the CEO. May 2007 promoted as Business Head -SSPL with reporting to the Board and elevated for setting up new independent business in Sports & Hospitality Industry and created brands like All Sports Bar-Sports Bar vertical, All Sports Café- QSR vertical, Maharaja Ship -Casino & F&B vertical & Lounge Fly- Lounge & Nightclub vertical. Also was involved with All Sports Magazine, a sports magazine and last worked on creating Food Courts & Sports & Live Entertainment Division for the FY 2008-09. With major thrust for the year on rollout of All Sports Café- QSR's, opening of the Ship Project & Food Courts Division.

• Managing & creating of the entire senior professionals team for leading the various verticals & roles
• Multiplicity of Tasks in the roles handled
• Success in getting new businesses from mere business concept to execution including set up of all front end & backend processes
• Project Management from conceptualizing to completion
• Understanding of the business & market dynamics with strong analytical skills
• Business Development & building relationship with potential real estate developers, design houses, service consultants, international clients etc.
• Budgetary & National Strategy Planning for life cycle of the business
• Creating & setting up of the Corporate culture & policies
• Implementing of Standard Operating Procedures etc.
• Working closely with International Consultants & Business Partners

(Indage Hotels is part of the famous Chateau Indage Group- India's biggest Wine producers and exporters. Have brands like Athena, Prive, Nandos, Amnesia, Fashion Cafe, Merlot, Wine Bars, and Vineyard Spas etc)
• Responsible for overall Business of the above brands as independent Profit Center Head. This included Business Development, Operations, Brand management/ communications, Event Marketing, Customer acquisition strategy, Loyalty initiatives and PR.
• Tie-ups/ Alliances, Barters, Sponsorships & co-promotional activities with synergic brand partners.
• Responsible for the Budgeting, Planning and Sales.
• Day to day handling of F& B operations, MIS, Contols, SOP's, HR & Admin, Training functions.
• Responsible for all the PR activities for the company. One of the official spokesperson for the company.
• Advertising development and media implementation, Activation & Implementation of brand plan.
• Reporting to the CEO

Attainments: • Won various awards for the Athena's & Prive
• Spearheaded the entry of Nando's in India, despite competition from some of India's largest business houses.
• Continues lifestyle events & strategic alliances
• Played a key role in reducing costs & increasing the sales in different markets
• Played a major role in re-directing the training programs.
• Actively involved in Local Stores Marketing Efforts to Boost Footfalls & Sales for the Brand