Sugar Cosmetics CEO Vineeta Singh Shares How a Fruit Vendor Helped Her Boost Sales By Speaking a Little Bit of Arabic

Colaba Causeway, one of Mumbai’s most iconic shopping destinations, has long been a hub for both tourists and locals seeking fashion, accessories, and unique finds. But in an unexpected turn of events, a small fruit vendor in front of a Sugar Cosmetics store has played a significant role in driving a surge in sales. 

Sugar’s Colaba Causeway Store 

“Before we signed the lease of our Colaba Causeway store, we had apprehensions about street stalls blocking our visibility from the main road,” said Sugar Cosmetics CEO Vineeta Singh. 

The bustling market, while a prime retail location, was lined with street vendors whose stalls often obstructed storefronts. She was concerned that the commotion outside might affect visibility and discourage customers from entering the store.

“But Colaba is Colaba - every store has a stall in front, and it is the stalls that have more legacy than the stores, so we decided to give it a try,” added Vineeta Singh. 

She also shared that in the last 12 months, the brand started seeing the Colaba Causeway store's sales explode and was also racking up lots of Rs. 1 lakh+ bills, so she went to find out what was going on. 

It turns out a local fruit vendor was helping by suggesting his customers check out the Sugar Cosmetics store. And after visiting the store, Vineeta Singh came to believe that the vendors weren’t a hindrance but rather an essential component of the marketplace's culture.

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A Fruit Vendor Who Speaks a Little Arabic 

As it turns out, the fastest growing set of customers in Colaba are Arab women who visit Mumbai for medical tourism. They love Indian makeup because they have similar warm undertones to Indians. They are also always in need of products that suit hot weather, but how they discovered Sugar Cosmetics is fascinating. 

Suraj, a local fruit vendor, and his father have been running a fruit stall in front of the store for years now, and lots of Arab women stop by to buy local fruits from them. (They don’t prefer anything imported.) 

Suraj, who had picked up some Arabic along the way, asks them if they want “Kahaal Al Hindi," which translates to “Indian kajals.” 

“They come in to try Indian makeup and eventually shop 15-20 pieces each of all the colours they like, as they don’t expect to return,” Vineeta added. 

When there are no customers, Megha, an employee at the store, invites Suraj and his father for tea, and that’s when she learns some Arabic too, especially all the names of makeup products and colours! 

Now, when Megha has foreign customers, with the little Arabic she knows, is also able to return the favour by reminding them to shop some locally sourced authentic Indian fruits before they head out.

“India is truly a land of entrepreneurs. And while we must have processes and systems, in my limited retail experience, it is the people who make the biggest difference - and sometimes people who don’t even belong to the system,” said Vineeta, ending her heartfelt message on LinkedIn. 

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