- 34 - CEO Today Mi dd l e Ea s t Award s 2022 - KUWAIT - Firm Profile Going into our 62nd year, we are as young as the Nation of Kuwait, and share the same aspirations for development and progress. We owe this infectious attitude to none other than our founder, the late patriarch of our family, Mr. Govind Mirchandani. When our founder landed at Kuwait in 1952, he immediately conceived it to be truly the land of milk and honey. True to vision, and within the decade, in 1961 Mr. Mirchandani established Raja General Store and Trading Company. By building on his business acumen, and working very hard, Govind Mirchandani soon established Raja Stores as ‘the go to’ Department Store for gifts, books, perfumes, electrical appliances, materials, tailoring and toys. Time passed, the business flourished, and Raja Stores branched into audio and video distribution and grew in patronage and stature. Govind Mirchandani had moved on too, he was now the proud father of four children, two girls and two boys. Raja Stores suffered grievously during the 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. It’s at times like this that the investment in family, society, and goodwill become evident, when after the liberation of Kuwait, the Mirchandani family and their well-wishers pulled together and re-established Raja Stores. It also set the scene for the next generation of Mirchandanis to step up to the wicket to bat. The story of a hundred brands and the multitude of customers drawn to these brands commences here. Traditionally hard working, and business savvy by nature, as well as being well educated, the young ShaleshMirchandani, popularly known as Rohit, was determined to elevate the family business to the next level. An entrepreneur by nature, Rohit set about creating new and diverse business lines by researching niche markets as Safety Equipment and Mega Kitchen Equipment, and then moving on, and the journey continues... G. Mirchandani Rohit Managing Director of Raja Company W.L.L. When my late father founded what was then Raja General Store and Trading Company in 1962, he may not have anticipated the variety of Divisions that come under the Raja Company umbrella today. I have made particular effort to diversify the business lines in the company, this is to ensure that we are in every relevant segment of the market, and to develop a truly multi-tasking workforce that is nimble and responsive to market trends. The only constant in our markets today is change. The key word here is ‘Change’ and Raja Company is a firm believer in adapting and innovating and reinventing itself to keep pace with the times. These are the skills that have taken us from perfumes to Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), and from website development and hosting to IIoT capabilities. Three objectives driveme today, to always focus on customers’ requirements, to continue to evolve our offering to the market with particular attention to new technologies, to grow without compromising our ethics and traditional inclinations to give back to the community at every opportunity.
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