Having completed more than 25 years in business, VLCC operates in India and across South-East Asia, West Asia and East Africa markets. As of mid-March, VLCC’s outlets numbered 315 spread across 140 cities in 11 countries. About 195 of these VLCC Wellness Centres are located in more than 100 Indian cities. Vandana Luthra, Founder, VLCC Healthcare Limited, is also Chairperson of the Beauty & Wellness Sector Skill Council (B&WSSC), an initiative that will provide training under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana scheme. Luthra detailed to Business Line her targets for VLCC and plans to help skill up young people across India to the Business Line. Excerpts.

What has been your approach to expansion, especially in international markets?
We acquire some companies and allow them to run as they do with their own names, although the mother company becomes VLCC. In Malaysia we have more than 20 centres. In Singapore, we have a product company. We’ve entered East Africa and we’ll start a product business in that geography. We’ll also spread across South Africa and West Africa and Saudi Arabia. We’ll continue to grow organically and inorganically.

And are there various formats of your centres?
In Tier 2 and 3 cities, the expense for running business is huge. And this means we can explore interesting formats. Among our wellness outlets, we’ve got simpler formats like Facial First which is only for skincare. You’ll find all our centres operate on international standards. A centre here and a centre in Dubai won’t be different from each other.

With your product business growing over the years, how has your manufacturing footprint expanded?
We set up the first manufacturing unit in Dehra Dun. Before that we were sourcing almost all products from Germany. But now a wide range of skincare, hair care and body care products are manufactured at GMP-certified plants owned by our subsidiaries in Haridwar, as also in Singapore. We also have a bulk manufacturing and formulation development agreement for VLCC’s personal- care products with a Swiss firm.
About 1 per cent of our top line goes into R&D. About 300 SKUs covering our range of skin, hair and body care products are retailed in India from 1, 25,000 outlets, besides VLCC centres.

How do you see VLCC now impacting the larger landscape?
I’m chairing the Beauty & Wellness Sector Skill Council (B&WSSC). By late March this year, we had enrolled more than 1, 29,000 people for training under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) scheme. Just under 91,500 out of that total number have already completed their training and over 32,100 people have been certified.

So this would prepare people better for employment?
The B&WSSC has been working closely with the Noida-based National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development to help train more people under the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) category of the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana scheme. As you know, the government has already put aside ₹1,500 crore to train about 25 lakh people from various sectors. The Government’s decision to train one crore young men and women under the PMKVY over the next three years will provide the perfect stimulus for realising the vision of India emerging as the HR Capital of the world by 2022.

And you can impact the salaries that people can earn… and effect some kind of regulation in the sector?
This is a sector that is open to everyone, whatever strata of society. We’re trying to work with the government to build the industry up… and have people from good families join the sector.
People from lower income groups can enter the industry as body therapists or pedicurists, and they can be trained further, and we will even work with school dropouts. And yes, we’ll be able to regulate the industry and provide it talent that is based on international standards… Salaries in the sector will be based on how qualified people are.

How do you see VLCC as a brand growing alongside the beauty and wellness sector?
If the wellness industry is worth about 70,000 crores and is growing at 20–22 per cent every year, VLCC is growing at the same rate.

For More Information: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/companies/want-to-bring-global-standards-talent-into-beauty-wellness/article8467599.ece