At the helm of Real Estate & BD Projects at Bata India, Kohli leads with a clear mandate: to align footprint growth with business value. His strategic RRR framework—Reach, Rejuvenate and Rationalise—reflects a data-driven, customer-centric approach to scaling retail sustainably…
In the ever-evolving landscape of Indian retail, few professionals bring the depth and dual-domain expertise that Ankur Kohli does. With a unique 720-degree career trajectory— spanning 360 degrees in retail operations and another 360 in real estate—Kohli has carved a niche as one of the most multidimensional leaders in the industry, spearheading the opening of 1,000+ stores thus far.
Starting his career at ground zero, amidst the daily hustle of COCO and franchise-run stores, Kohli didn’t choose retail—it chose him. His early days, spent deeply entrenched in store-level operations during India’s retail awakening, laid a strong foundation in understanding what truly drives performance: customer experience and operational excellence.
As his career progressed, Kohli took on national leadership roles at Tata International, M&B Footwear, and Crocs, where he was not only responsible for scaling store networks but also managing profitability at a pan-India level. This blend of strategic oversight and P&L accountability sharpened his focus on expansion planning and market penetration.
His transition into retail real estate brought a powerful new dimension to his capabilities. With an operator’s lens and a strategist’s foresight, Kohli began evaluating locations not just by demographics or cost—but by how they aligned with store performance and operational feasibility. This dual perspective became his hallmark— bridging the often-siloed worlds of front-end execution and back-end development.
Now at the helm of real estate and BD projects at Bata India, Kohli leads with a clear mandate: to align footprint growth with business value. His strategic RRR framework—Reach (expansion and whitespace), Rejuvenate (store upgrades and experience design), and Rationalise (occupancy cost optimisation)—reflects a data-driven, customer-centric approach to scaling retail sustainably. From right-sizing formats to rethinking location strategy in emerging markets, Kohli continues to play a key role in shaping the future of Indian retail real estate.
Leadership Philosophy
Kohli’s leadership philosophy is rooted in three core principles: clarity, collaboration, and innovation. “I believe that great leadership starts with a clear vision, setting clear expectations and aligning teams around common goals. This is especially true in retail operations and real estate, where timelines are tight and execution is critical, and everyone needs to understand not just what we’re doing, but why we’re doing it,” says Ankur Kohli, Head – Real Estate, BD, Projects & RE Excellence, Bata India.
He adds that he also prioritises collaboration. “I lead by listening and by encouraging inputs across departments— from store teams to real estate and construction partners—because the best solutions often come from the ground up. By building a culture of trust and open communication, I find that teams are more engaged, proactive, and willing to own outcomes and accountable. My goal is always to lead with integrity and consistency, creating an environment where people feel motivated, respected, and focused on delivering impact.”
Finally, he believes that innovation is the way forward. “We are in a very dynamic retail era and without innovation, we will be left behind. Companies need to stay updated and adapt to the ability to transform before it’s too late in the day.”
He credits his clear and strategic thinking to three role models, who taught him the importance of 3Ps to success.
- From former Bata India president, Rajeev Gopalakrishnan, he learnt that People are important—it’s the people who drive the process not the other way round, irrespective of the tech pinnacle one reaches.
- From Bata Global CEO, Sandeep Kataria, he learnt that Pace is crucial— working in a tech-enabled environment to reach the goal post faster and with complete accuracy.
- Finally, from MD M&B, Inderdev Singh Musafir, he learnt that Passion is essential—passion is the core of each and every piece of work which one undertakes in life.
Fostering Innovation & Creativity within Teams
Kohli has always worked with the belief that innovation is like farming—it needs to be cultivated like a crop with ingredients of culture, trust, and structure. “To foster creativity within my team, I focus on three main areas: encouraging idea-sharing, creating a safe space for experimentation, and tying innovation to real business needs to address pain points,” he says.
He goes on to explain that everyone’s voice matters, regardless of role or title. “I encourage open forums where team members can share observations and ideas without fear of judgment. Some of our best initiatives have come from insights of the Business Development/Projects frontlines. Not every idea will succeed, but I reward initiative and treat failures as learning moments rather than setbacks. This builds trust and keeps the team motivated to try new approaches, whether that’s testing a new store format or proposing an unconventional site strategy,” he explains.
Finally he works hard to tie creativity to purpose. “Innovation isn’t just about brainstorming—it must solve real problems or create new opportunities. I challenge my team to think about how we can improve the customer experience, drive operational efficiency, or create value through our real estate portfolio in ways that align with our business goals,” he says.
Core Competencies within Retail
At Bata India, Kohli’s core competencies span multiple areas of retail operations and strategic development, all aimed at driving growth, operational excellence, and customer satisfaction. These include:
Developing Retail Chains: Kohli plays a key role in the expansion and optimisation of Bata India’s retail footprint both in Modern India and Emerging Bharat, focusing on identifying high-potential trade areas, conducting feasibility studies, and ensuring each new store aligns with the brand’s positioning and financial targets. He works closely with cross-functional teams to align location strategy with consumer demand and long-term brand objectives. Kohli’s work encompasses facilitating multiple formats – a Bata Flagship store of 20,000 sq.ft. in a metro city mall environment, a family store of 2000 sq.ft. in a Tier III neighbourhood, a store in a premium mall like Select City Walk, a store on Koppikar road (high street), to a 100 sq.ft. Floatz Kiosk and Power stores in malls and on high streets.
- Managed Retail Operations: He manages Hush Puppies as Business Head & COO – South Retail where he oversees end-to-end store operations ensuring consistency in execution, compliance with SOPs, and high operational efficiency across locations. His approach has been a blend of balancing daily performance metrics with long-term operational improvements.
- Business Development: Kohli plays a pivotal role in identifying new revenue streams and partnership opportunities. This includes expanding into new retail formats like Floatz Kiosks, shop-in-shops in large format stores like Lifestyle and athleisure themed stores for Bata India’s private labels Power and Hush Puppies.
- Execution of Store Fitouts: From design to rollout, Kohli manages the entire store fit-out process with precision, ensuring timelines, budgets, and brand standards are consistently met. He prides his team’s ability on completing renovations in 5 days flat to ensure weekend business doesn’t suffer and new store in 2 weeks, faster than other retailers without compromising the quality.
“My overall strength lies in my meticulous expansion strategy with an operational lens on execution including leading teams, and creating customer-centric retail experiences via upkeep of stores in terms of look and feel. This in turn drives both top-line and bottom-line growth for Bata India,” he says.
Trends Leading to Real Estate Decision Making
Over the years, Kohli has observed several key trends that have significantly influenced strategic decision-making. These trends have not only reshaped consumer expectations but also forced him and his team to rethink how they operate, where they invest, and how they create value. He outlines some of these trends:
- Data-Driven Site Selection & Performance: The rise of data analytics has changed how we select sites and evaluate store potential. We now use geo-demographic data, footfall analytics, and predictive modelling to guide expansion. This has made our real estate decisions more precise and ROI-focused.
- Shift from Location to Experience: Earlier, retail success was heavily driven by ‘location, location, location.’ While that remains important, today the focus has shifted to experience and engagement. This has led us to prioritise store layouts and customer journey mapping to enhance in-store experiences and drive loyalty.
- Smaller, More Efficient Formats: There has been a clear move toward right-sizing of stores—especially in urban centers, where high rents and changing shopping behaviour make compact, experience-focused formats more viable. This has driven our real estate and operational planning toward more flexible, scalable models.
- Tier II & III City Growth: We have observed a consistent rise in aspirational demand in Tier II & III cities, which has influenced market prioritisation and store design choices. These markets demand value-driven pricing but still expect branded experiences, so we work to tailor product assortments and promotional strategies accordingly.
- Sustainability & Cost-Efficiency: Across the board, there’s growing pressure to be more cost-efficient and environmentally conscious. This has led to innovations in store design, energy use, and supply chain decisions—without compromising on customer experience.
“Consumer behaviour, technology, and market dynamics have all played a crucial role in shaping our strategy—from where we open stores to how we design them and what kind of service we deliver,” he says.
Measuring Personal Success
As an industry pioneer in Real Estate, Business Development, and Projects, Kohli defines success through a combination of strategic growth, execution excellence, and long-term value creation for the brand.
“For me, it’s not just about expanding our footprint, but about doing it in a way that’s sustainable, profitable, and aligned with the company’s vision,” he says. For him, some metrics to measure success by are:
- Strategic Growth & Increasing Portfolio: Success means growing retail presence in the right locations, at the right time, and with the right formats. Kohli measures it through key metrics like store-level profitability, ROI on new openings, cost per square foot, and occupancy cost ratios. If the portfolio is driving higher productivity and improving overall market coverage, then it translates to success.
- Speed, Cost, & Quality of Execution: On the project execution side, success is all about consistency. Timely delivery of store fit-outs, adherence to budgets, and maintaining brand standards across all formats are non-negotiable, along with tracking project turnaround time, vendor performance, and cost optimisation across builds to ensure efficiency without compromise.
- Market Penetration & Business Development Impact: In business development, success is defined by ability to open up new markets, build valuable partnerships, and support growth models like franchising or new-format innovation. If a brand enters high-potential geographies and deepens its presence in underpenetrated zones, then it will emerge stronger, resilient.
“Personally, I measure success by the legacy I leave in terms of systems, leadership, and mindsets. Am I building future-ready teams? Am I elevating the quality of our site selection, execution, and business development processes? Am I helping the brand scale with discipline? If the answer is yes, then that’s success to me,” he concludes.
