Address Comfort Stylishly

Munir Langoo and Zulfikar Langoo are the founders and Directors of Langoo Traders, the leading Sanitary Ware, Electric, Hardware, Kitchenware, Pipes and fittings, Cement and other building materials trading company in the Kashmir region. In 1995, they started a small trading firm, opening their first showroom in Lal Chowk, Srinagar. Both brothers, with their confidence and business savvy acumen, have chartered a path that has transformed the company from a small trading firm into the huge sanitaryware and building materials establishment.

Could you describe your entrepreneur path?

Munir: After completing our graduation in mid-1990’s, both my brother and I wanted to start our own business but we both were blank and had no prior experience or knowledge of what we wanted to do. Seeing the construction boom in Kashmir at that point of time, it became our aim to try our luck in sanitaryware retail business. However, the biggest struggle was raising capital for the venture which we eventually managed to raise.

Munir Ahmad - Founder & Managing Director

When the customer gets their needs met, the company is easy to do business with, and the customer enjoys the experience, the customer is likely to be loyal. Not only loyal, but they are likely to share their experience with a friend, colleague or family member.

Zulfikar: Everyone has to start somewhere, and many of the most successful entrepreneurs come from very humble beginnings. We have the same story to tell. We believed that to think big, we need not start big. Small but consistent steps towards our goals will eventually lead to bigger success, which we always dreamed of achieving. It surely did for us.

Who are the other unsung heroes behind your success?

Munir: Every individual at the Langoo Traders has served as a pillar and has helped us in our success. The blessings of our parents and support of our families have been immense.

Zulfikar Ahmad - Founder & Managing Director

To stay ahead of the developments happening in the bathroom and kitchen fittings industry, every employee at Langoo Traders is encouraged to participate in training sessions of new tools and technologies.

Name some of the brands you are associated with at present?

Zulfikar: We want to stand tall among the crowd by bringing building materials and sanitary ware products at affordable prices without compromising quality. Our innovative ideas, elegant and unique design, endless search for quality product made our dream come true. Operating with three showrooms in the heart of Srinagar, well equipped warehouses large enough to store and stock ample quantity and variety of products along with our transport fleet for prompt and timely delivery of goods to customers and dealers governed by our sophisticated corporate office, enable us to achieve our goal.

Munir: Our brands such as , Somany, Essel, Prince, KAFF, Formul, Vectus, Pilsa, Jindal, Nerolac, Asian Paints, Essco by Jaquar, KAFF, Racold, Toyo, Eden, New, DRP, Zoloto, Comfort, Moon, Classic, White House, Metro, Livpure, Pedilite, Spark and so on reflect our high standards.

What are the key factors driving your business sector in Kashmir market?

Zulfikar: Kashmir’s growing young workforce with their steady income and an investment mindset, is set to play a significant role in the real estate market, in the coming years. In addition, rapid urbanization, rise in nuclear family households, increase in disposable income of the middle-class population will also contribute to the growth of the market in total. This is good news for our business sector.

How would you summarize your performance in the past couple of years?

Munir: Even though the COVID-19 pandemic, which affected the whole world, was brought under control in 2022, the effects of the pandemic on economies and our lives were felt throughout the past couple of years. However, we were able to operate our business successfully during the period, thanks to the investments we had made in our products, business partners, distribution channels, and marketing efforts before the pandemic.

Zulfikar: As far as the future is concerned, the world is passing through a conjuncture characterized by very low predictability. We believe that the world economy will surely experience some volatility in terms of adapting to the new normal and a rebalancing will happen in the next few years. We view our diverse product portfolio, carefully designed strategy, management competencies and assets as the most valuable guarantee and instrument in overcoming these challenges.

What are the trends in the industry?

Munir: Consumers are shifting their focus from visiting showrooms and learning about the products to online research. As many as 50 per cent of the consumers do their research online and then purchase it. People are looking for energy-efficient and featurerich products. The younger generation is well-informed and they know what they want. Consumers do not mind paying extra to buy better quality products. Consumer finance and credit card trends are growing faster, wherein consumers don’t mind paying EMI for better quality products.