The Metro Brands Story of Legacy, Leadership and Scale

In India’s rapidly evolving fashion and lifestyle retail landscape, few companies embody the power of legacy blended with modern retail strategy as convincingly as Metro Brands Ltd.

The numbers themselves tell a compelling story. 1,000 stores. Presence in over 200 cities. And annual revenues approaching ₹3,000 crore. For a company that began as a single footwear store in Mumbai’s Colaba in 1955, the scale Metro Brands has achieved is remarkable.

But the story behind this milestone is not just about store expansion. It is about a generational business that successfully reinvented itself into a modern, multi-brand fashion and footwear platform.

At the heart of this transformation lies a leadership structure that combines the vision of Chairman Rafique Malik, the strategic direction of the next generation—Farah Malik Bhanji and Alisha Malik—and the operational expertise of a seasoned professional team led by CEO Nissan Joseph.

The Foundation: From Colaba Store to National Brand

The Metro journey began when Malik Tejani acquired a footwear store in Mumbai’s Colaba in 1955. Over the decades, his son Rafique Malik transformed the modest family business into one of India’s most recognisable footwear retailers.

Malik built the company around three enduring principles: quality craftsmanship, strong vendor relationships and deep customer trust. One of his most distinctive strategies was empowering store managers to act as entrepreneurs, giving them autonomy in hiring and merchandising decisions—an approach that helped Metro build strong local relevance across markets.

Today, that philosophy has scaled into a network of 1,000 stores across more than 200 Indian cities, making Metro one of the largest organised footwear retailers in the country.

The Next Generation: Expanding the Brand Universe

The transformation of Metro from a single-brand retailer into a diversified footwear platform accelerated with the entry of the Malik sisters.

Farah Malik Bhanji, Managing Director, joined the business in 2000 after graduating from the University of Texas at Austin. She has played a pivotal role in shaping Metro’s product architecture and vendor ecosystem.

Under her leadership, the company expanded its supplier network to over 250 vendors, enabling faster product development cycles and stronger fashion responsiveness.

Farah also spearheaded the company’s shift towards premiumisation and design-led product innovation, helping Metro move beyond traditional footwear retail into a fashion-forward lifestyle positioning.

Her work laid the foundation for Metro’s multi-brand strategy.

Digital, Sports and the New Consumer

The company’s next phase of transformation was led by Alisha Malik, President and Whole-time Director.

Joining the company in 2009 after studying finance at Northumbria University, Alisha helped build Metro’s omnichannel capabilities, integrating physical stores with digital commerce.

She played a key role in launching the company’s e-commerce platforms and strengthening Metro’s digital presence across marketplaces.

Today, Alisha also leads the company’s sports and athleisure portfolio, which includes brands such as Fila, Proline, Foot Locker and New Era.

This segment represents Metro’s entry into one of the fastest-growing segments of the fashion market—sneaker culture and sports lifestyle retail.

The Professional Pivot: CEO Nissan Joseph

Metro Brands entered a new phase of professionalisation with the appointment of Nissan Joseph as Chief Executive Officer in 2021.

A global footwear and sports retail veteran with experience across brands like Crocs and Planet Sports, Joseph brought international retail expertise to the company.

His mandate has been clear: scale Metro Brands into a modern omnichannel lifestyle retailer while strengthening global brand partnerships.

Under his leadership, the company has accelerated expansion across Tier-2 and Tier-3 markets, while also strengthening its premium positioning in urban centres.

Joseph has also played a key role in bringing Foot Locker to India, tapping into the country’s rapidly growing sneaker culture.

The Leadership Engine Behind the Scale

Metro Brands’ growth is powered by a strong professional leadership team across finance, operations, transformation, brand management and human capital.

Kaushal Parekh, Chief Financial Officer, has ensured disciplined financial management and played a central role in preparing the company for its successful IPO in 2021.

Aashish Mashruwala, Chief Transformation Officer, leads Metro’s brand evolution and operational modernisation initiatives. Having previously led the Crocs business in India, he now works on repositioning Metro’s flagship brand for the next generation.

Mohit Dhanjal, Chief Operating Officer, brings more than three decades of experience from companies such as Reliance Retail, Raymond and Sephora India. He oversees store operations and retail expansion.

Nandini Mehta, Chief Human Resources Officer, leads the company’s people strategy and talent development across a workforce that supports Metro’s nationwide retail footprint.

Within the brand portfolio, Amir Hamid, Brand Head of Mochi, represents one of the company’s most inspiring internal growth stories—having started his career as a store salesman and rising through the ranks to lead one of Metro’s fastest-growing brands.

Manoj Singh, Business Head of Walkway, drives Metro’s value footwear segment, expanding the brand’s presence across price-sensitive markets and emerging cities.

Maulik Desai, Senior Vice President – Strategic Brands, manages Metro’s partnerships with global labels such as Crocs, FitFlop and Biofoot.

Supporting the company’s retail expansion is Sudhir Dnyanval, Head of Business Development, Store Design and Construction, who leads location strategy, store design and rollout execution, ensuring Metro Brands’ rapid network expansion remains both consistent and operationally efficient.

Meanwhile, the recent appointment of Harshavardhan Chauhaan as Chief Marketing Officer signals Metro’s growing focus on brand storytelling, digital marketing and youth engagement.

A Powerful Multi-Brand Portfolio

Metro Brands today operates a diversified brand portfolio that blends homegrown labels with international partnerships.

The company’s in-house brands include Metro Shoes, Mochi, Walkway, Da Vinchi, Cheemo, Metro Activ and Biofoot.

Alongside these, Metro has built strong partnerships with global brands including Crocs, FitFlop, Fila, Proline, Foot Locker, New Era and Clarks.

This balanced portfolio enables the company to serve multiple consumer segments—from premium fashion footwear to sports, comfort and value categories.

Financial Momentum

Metro Brands has maintained steady financial growth alongside its retail expansion.

The projected ₹3,000 crore revenue milestone places Metro Brands firmly among India’s most significant fashion and footwear retailers.

Walking into the Future

For Metro Brands, the 1,000-store milestone is less an endpoint and more a marker of its next phase of growth.

The company now sits at the intersection of several powerful retail trends: premiumisation, sneaker culture, omnichannel retail and expansion into emerging cities.

With Rafique Malik’s legacy, the strategic direction of Farah and Alisha Malik, and a strong professional leadership team led by Nissan Joseph, Metro Brands is positioning itself to evolve from a footwear retailer into a full-fledged fashion and lifestyle platform.

From a single store in Colaba to a nationwide retail network, Metro’s journey mirrors the broader evolution of India’s organised fashion retail sector.

And if the company’s leadership is to be believed, the next milestone may arrive sooner than expected.