It has often been said that good things come to those who wait, but, in reality, even greater things come to those who work determinedly and relentlessly. The story of Mr. Niren Anand, Founder and Managing Director, Evertrade India is of perseverance and hard work. It is an inspiring journey that will move aspiring entrepreneurs globally for years to come. Mr. Anand belongs to a simple middle-class family. He was born and brought up in the small city of Darbhanga in Bihar. After completing his education, he armed himself with a specialised degree in footwear design from Footwear Design & Development Institute (FDDI).
Mr. Anand’s keen interest in sports took him to work for the renowned sports merchandise company Yonex. He then went on to work for Singapore-based Sports Ultimate Private Limited. He gained rich experience in sports footwear manufacturing and marketing, and decided to venture out on his own. He established his first venture Evertrade Group in China in 2011.
Evertrade Group is a prominent footwear design and manufacturing company. Under Mr. Anand’s leadership, it has become a renowned name in the B2B circle, and many leading brands have associated with it. Owing to Mr. Anand’s keen interest in sports since childhood, his venture also has a specialised focus on sports footwear.
SCALING NEW HEIGHTS
Evertrade has been scaling new milestones since its inception. Apart from being one of the few successful India-owned ventures based out of China, Evertrade has also been the first-ever factory to be approved by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
Mr. Anand has also ensured that his company stands apart not only because of the high-quality products that they manufacture, but also because of the organisation’s ethos, values, and best practices. He ensures that only the most high-end technology and machinery are used to produce world-class products.
It was not an easy achievement for a native Indian to move to China and start a business there from scratch. With no knowledge of the local language or the business community, Mr. Anand set out on the mission to build a brand that reflects his passion as well as affinity to sports. “It was the best decision I ever made,” he says. Another notable feat that Mr. Anand has to his credit is that at Evertrade, 80 percent of employees are women – a commendable effort by him to ensure employability for more women. “Our aim is to make women more empowered and financially independent,” he shares.
AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS
The brand he has built has won many accolades from the community and industry organisations. It won the ‘Excellence Brand’ award in China by the Brand Association of China’s Import & Export Department. At the Odisha Conclave held in 2022, Mr. Anand was a Guest of Honor. One of India’s renowned manufacturing magazines Machine Maker featured Mr. Anand on its cover page and in a book written on various Indian manufacturers.
For his undeterred efforts and commitment, he was appointed Senior Advisor at UNCTAD India. He was also nominated for the HIERRA Award that is presented by Empretec to High Impact Entrepreneurs. Empretec is UNCTAD’s program for India that promotes entrepreneurial competencies in start-ups, scale-ups, and stakeholders.
SETTING AN EXAMPLE
Being an Indian-origin businessman in China puts a huge responsibility on Mr. Anand. He represents the country in a foreign land and his efforts will eventually get translated into fostering the Indo-China relationship and promoting Indian culture. Mr. Anand takes this responsibility very seriously. Over the last decade, he has built strong ties with the local community in China and carved a niche for himself in the country.
Mr. Anand always offers a glimpse of India’s culture and festivals by organising events locally. Evertrade sponsored an Indian classical music event for the very first time in Xiamen in collaboration with the Consulate General of India, Guangzhou, Philippines and Thailand. The event garnered immense praise from the Minister and Chairman of the China Council of Industry and Trade. In 2018, Mr. Anand organised ‘Diwali Meet’ on the medical campus of Xiamen University and a Holi event at the charity market in 2019. These efforts collate into a much larger movement to form a strong foundation for Indians in China and to sensitise the Chinese about the Indian culture and values.
Mr. Anand is fully committed to working for the upliftment of rural communities and working through Empretec India Foundation and many other UN agencies.
The COVID-19 pandemic was hard for Mr. Anand’s business and his sales declined by 20 percent year-on-year. However, he was positive about his business and started actively seeking new opportunities. He sought out time to plan for the coming years and chose to invest in a new factory back home.
THE ROAD AHEAD
Mr. Anand is now looking to build a manufacturing unit similar to the one in China, in Odisha, India. With this new unit, he plans to bridge the demand and supply gap in the footwear segment and put India in the lead among top footwear manufacturers. With a whopping investment of ₹62.44 crore, Mr. Anand is setting up this manufacturing unit spread over 10 acres. The new manufacturing facility will be a single unit responsible for generating employment opportunities for more than 1200 people. Like his unit in China, the Indian manufacturing unit will also work on women empowerment by employing as many women as possible.
It is estimated that the Indian manufacturing unit will have the capacity to produce 2.5 million pairs of shoes annually. This ambitious venture began taking shape after Evertrade signed an agreement with the Government of Odisha in 2019 during the ‘Invest in Odisha’ event.
A GLOBAL INDIAN
Mr. Anand is also working on some novel ideas such as biodegradable packaging, and setting up a bamboo fibers factory in Nagaland in collaboration with the state government and aid from the United Nations. Among other plans, he is ready to explore more countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia, and Korea for raw materials and other resources.
What Mr. Anand has built in a decade requires passion, determination, and resolve in abundance. He is a great example of what one can accomplish if one sets one’s mind to. Leaders like him do not stop at creating one successful venture. The fact that he is now working even harder to replicate his success in his homeland says a great deal about his commitment to his roots. He is truly a Global Indian working diligently to strengthen his country’s position on the world map.
