Inside Mysore Saree Udyog, Bengaluru’s iconic saree brand

For over four decades, Mysore Saree Udyog has stood tall in one of Bengaluru’s busiest shopping destinations of Commercial Street with its iconic store that draws several loyal patrons. 

Started in 1982 from a small 10x12 sq ft space on Juma Masjid Road by Kamlesh Talera and his father, the late Pukharaj Talera, the brand had humble beginnings. Today, it has grown into a three-storey building and also expanded to Hyderabad, where it set up a store last year in Jubilee Hills. 

SMBStory traces the journey of this legacy brand and how the family-run business is all set for expansion. 

Dinesh Talera (56), Pukharaj Talera’s younger son, who formally joined the business in 1987, recalls the time when his father had come to Bengaluru from Marwar Junction in Rajasthan. 

Pukharaj was initially engaged in trading of zari, a thread traditionally made of fine gold or silver, used in traditional garments. Later, when Japanese zari (an imitation) found its way into the market, his business took a backseat. That’s when the idea of shifting to a saree business took shape. 

The saree business did brisk sales and soon the Taleras found themselves moving to a larger 3,500-sq ft space, in a commercial building on Kamaraj Road, adjoining the famous Commercial Street. They ran the business from here till 2007, and this was the period when several celebrities, including actor Dimple Kapadia, renowned business folk, and entrepreneurs visited the store. Today, the entire building, spanning 15,000 sq ft, houses the Mysore Saree Udyog brand.  

Even today the store continues to attract several famous personalities, loyal patrons, and tourists.  

“An elevated sense of pride occurs when your store is acknowledged as a sought-after shopping destination for tourists. Many individuals, both in the past and present, specifically visit Bengaluru, and our store in particular, to shop,” says the co-founder of Mysore Saree Udyog.

Ramaswamy Venkataraman, the former Dean of Harvard University, described Mysore Saree Udyog as not just a store for shopping but an institution for learning and case study. In fact, IIM Ahmedabad's Case Centre considers the operational approach of Mysore Saree Udyog as a subject of study.

Mysore Saree Udyog is a family-run enterprise managed by the second and third generations of the family. In a bid to infuse corporate essence into this long-standing business, Dinesh and his brother Kamlesh have initiated a distinction between business operations and ownership/management. 

The company is in the process of appointing a new CEO–a position that had been earlier occupied by Sankar Gopalakrishnan, former CEO of Reliance Footprint. 

“Out of 100 family-run businesses which move to second or third generation, only 30% survive. Why this? Because they fail to incorporate professionalism in the business. There needs to be a line between ownership and management and that builds a strong legacy,” Dinesh explains the rationale behind demarcating ownership and operations. 

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Carving a niche 

Mysore Saree Udyog mainly sells silk sarees from all over India, including the weaving clusters of Karnataka, Varanasi, Pochampalli, Kanchipuram (Tamil Nadu), and Odisha. The brand specialises in pure silk sarees with pure zari.

There are also sarees made from other natural fibres, embroidered sarees, printed sarees, and a small selection of manmade fabrics as well.

Apart from sarees, the retailer also sell lehengas, gowns, and suit materials and houses 35,000 varieties across categories. The company has a supply base of around 1,500 vendors and weavers. 

According to a Grand View Research report, the global ethnic wear market size was valued at $77.6 billion in 2020 and is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 6.3% from 2021 to 2028. India is home to prominent ethnic wear brands such as Nalli, Koskii, Kankatala, and Kalki Fashion.

Mysore Saree Udyog prides itself on its quality and value-driven prices. 

“We offer a price-match warranty, as we refund money if some customer claims to get the same product at a lower price,” says Dinesh.

“We believe in offering the right price and right product with no gimmicks,” he adds. 

In what the brand considers a pioneering initiative in the retail sector, the Talera brothers have brought in a ‘real zari testing machine’ which assesses the purity of gold and silver zari in sarees, lehengas, and fabrics. 

According to Dinesh, this empowers customers by enabling them to distinguish between counterfeit and authentic products.

Mysore Saree Udyog claims to have an average footfall of 600 to 700 customers per day at each of its stores in Bengaluru and Hyderabad and employs 500 people in total. It also ships to customers abroad, especially in countries such as the United States.

“As the third generation joined the business, they were keen on expanding the company’s presence. As Hyderabad has many similarities like the culture of Bangalore, the city was our first choice to open the second store,” says Dinesh.

In 2014, Mysore Saree Udyog began selling online through its own website. The next four years was a learning experience for the company, as it navigated the digital space it was hitherto unfamiliar with. Just when online retail started to pick up, the pandemic hit in 2020. This was a challenging period for the company. 

"In 2020, we underwent a significant learning phase and faced considerable challenges. However, following the relaxation of restrictions, we initiated online video selling, directly from our store, to cater to our international customers, primarily in the US,” says Dinesh.  

Around this time, the retailer also began opening its retail store in Bengaluru at 6:30 am. 

“We witnessed a notable uptick in business–a trend we have sustained. I proudly assert that we stand as the sole ethnic retail store engaging in this unique approach," says Dinesh. 

Major buyers, he says, prefer visiting the store early in the morning. To facilitate this, the company has created two working shifts for employees. 

The Bengaluru store today operates from 6:30 am to 8:30 pm, while the Hyderabad store is open from 10.30 am to 8.30 pm. 

The way forward

With the new generation, comprising Anil Sancheti, Aditya Talera, Roshni Talera, Dhruv Talera and Anuj Talera, in the business, retail expansion is on the cards, but the company will adopt a “conservative approach”, says Dinesh. 

Profitability is the priority, he reiterates. 

Though Dinesh did not disclose the company’s revenue, he expects a minimum year-on-year revenue growth of 25-50% next year.

Mysore Saree Udyog is also planning to come up with a menswear collection. 

Preserving the textile heritage of India

Apart from running a profitable retail business, Mysore Saree Udyog also has a larger vision to preserve and carry forward the legacy of handloom and handspun weaves. 

In 2016, Mysore Saree Udyog established The Registry of Sarees, a research centre, repository and museum, in Bengaluru, to enable learning through engagements with weavers and practitioners and other events. The registry houses over 800 exhibits, dating back to 200-300 years ago.