Navin N Moolchandani is the Founder & CEO of Emporia, Lal’s Group’s Hospitality solution. Based in UAE, Emporia has a distribution channel across the hospitality sector and retail chains. They have a premium customer base in the industry, pushing forward towards achieving an even better goal.

Navin has been working from the age of 13 years old. He took inspiration from his father and became an entrepreneur. His hard work and consistency led him to this position. He has excellent experience working with Adidas, Abu Dhabi GP, and Galeries Lafayette. The goal of Navin and his team is to make Emporia the top choice for hotels & restaurants for their needs across Seychelles, GCC & Maldives. Navin also believes in innovation and coming up with creative ideas for better business.

He started Emporia because he saw the potential of the hospitality industry due to the increasing customer demand for high-quality services. Let’s check out more about Navin and his company below through our interview with him.

Explain the background of you and the company in detail.

I am the Founder & CEO of Emporia which I founded in 2017. With a passion for doing something big, I started working at the age of 13. I have diverse experience in Media, Digital, advertising, and more. I took inspiration from my father, and that’s why I always wanted to be an entrepreneur like him. That inspiration and my consistency have taken me to this position. I have also worked for Abu Dhabi GP, Adidas, and Galeries Lafayette.

Emporia is one of the leading companies in the luxury hospitality sector. It has an existing portfolio that serves a diverse range of over 150+ hotels across GCC, Maldives, Seychelles, and Djibouti and has an in-house Linen Manufacturing Factory in UAE. We mainly deal in non-food that including Our esteemed clients ranging from luxury 5-star hotels to exotic villa resorts, who swear by our high-quality, luxurious products.

We distribute private labels, including NNM designs, which focus on a completely bespoke range – Torroly provides an array of room appliances and lighting, Linen by Navin N. Moolchandani offers luxe bed & bath products, and Eco-vite, our sustainable range.

We also have Biotique Advanced Ayurveda & Organics hotel amenities, and a range of high-performance skin, hair, and body care products made from all-natural, organic, and cruelty-free ingredients. Emporia also deals in Food & Beverages, catering to hotels & restaurants.

Navin N Moolchandani, What are your goals?

I aim to make Emporia the number-one choice for all hotels and restaurants for their needs across GCC, Maldives & Seychelles. I also want to increase accessibility to innovative and fresh products and ideas.

What do you feel is the biggest strength of yourself/company right now?

I have a keen eye for identifying the gaps in the market and constantly looking to expand into futuristic solutions.

My team has a collective experience of over 50 years in the hotel industry, and with their extensive knowledge, they can predict market trends and respond to them accordingly.

What was the path you/your company took to get to where you are today?

It wasn’t an easy journey for sure. While our company was still in the growing stage prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, we quickly diversified our portfolio. We tapped into the hygiene market, which gave our company a much-needed boost. We were slowly pushing through our core offerings while the large players in the market could not adapt to the changes due to their capital being tied up in their core business. Diversification was the key to our success.

Navin N Moolchandani, Why did you start (or want to be the head of) this company?

I saw a lot of potential in the ever-changing hospitality sector as customers are always seeking a higher quality of service and products provided, and Emporia was born with the idea of adding value to that.

What have been the biggest challenges you’ve had to overcome?

Building trust in this market as a new entrant was challenging, especially when competing with already established businesses. However, we overcame these challenges by constantly overachieving our customers’ expectations and providing them with effective solutions.

Give us one word that describes you the best.

Dynamic

Navin N Moolchandani, What makes you excited about Mondays?

New challenges. Every Monday, we get going with a team meeting, and listening to the team’s progress makes me proud.

What do you value most about your culture and vision?

I come from India, which has many different cultures. The diversified cultures led me to believe that there is unity in diversity. This value has helped me learn about different cultures and has allowed me to grow as an individual and form deeper connections with people as part of my vision.

Tell us about a project that forced you to be innovative and creative.

To combat the issue of the increase in environmental pollution, we have introduced Eco-vite, which has an innovative sustainable range of bed & bath linen, uniforms, and consumer disposables like compostable bags.

What are your company’s strategies, and how do they stand unique from your competitors?

The strategy is to constantly develop new innovative products and always keep customer satisfaction at the forefront.

What are the key values that helped you overcome the roadblocks/challenges in your career? Tell us something about your memorable incident in your leadership.

Multiculturism is key to bringing in new ideas and promoting a positive work environment, leading to better team performance.

For me, every day is a new memory. I love to interact daily with my team on a professional and human level as we make it a point to socialize during our lunch in an informal setting. I have seen that this can build team morale and help me gauge any feedback, which allows for two-way communication and, in return, increases the efficiency of our operations.

How do you see the company changing in two years, and how do you see yourself creating that change?

I see our company competing on several different grounds, such as smart technology, sustainability, and e-commerce, and achieving greater success in the lines that we already have.

Where is your leadership going? What benefits do your clients get from your company in this competitive world?

We have recently expanded to Maldives & Seychelles. We look forward to expanding to other tourist spots such as Fiji, Zanzibar, and other destinations where there is a need for accessibility to the products. Our customers are getting easy access to the new innovative products tailored as per their requirements.

What services/solutions or products are offered by your company at par with the current industry standards? Could you tell us something about your upcoming products or services?

- We currently offer a complete luxury bed & bath linen solution of a range of qualities.

- We offer customization for in-room and bathroom accessories

- We offer hygiene products such as sanitizers, facemasks, gloves, etc.

- We have recently introduced Sustainable linen under our Eco-vite label

- Biodegradable and compostable consumer disposable items under Bio Plastobags.

- Ayurveda and organic amenities range for luxury hotels under Biotique.