Read books, eat sweets at Mithaiwala

Mallika Khan Toma, a private-university student, often drops by at the Mithaiwala's outlet in Dhanmondi to relish the sweets on her way home.

"I never came across a sweet shop in Bangladesh, where you can sit and spend a relaxing time," she said when asked about why she visited this place so frequently.

All customers of Mithaiwala can buy sweets in any quantity: that is, a customer can buy only one piece of sweet and spend hours in the outlet reading a book or hang out with friends.

The sweetshop has already become famous as a hub of avid readers as customers surf through pages of Pather Dabi by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, Aparijita by Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay, War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle and other classic books – while they stop by for sweets.

Talking to The Business Standard, Consultant of Mithaiwala, Subhabrata Maitra, said, "Mithaiwala was created after much analysis and research. During the research, we found that conventional sweet shops are not popular among the young people. They never stop by at sweet shops to spend time with friends."

The prices of sweets are high and beyond the budget of young people in Bangladesh, hence sweet shops are never popular among students and young adults, Maitra added.

"After analysing these setbacks, we decided to plan something new which will not be a conventional sweetshop, but a fresh idea that will host all types of customers," Maitra told The Business Standard.

Mithaiwala is not like any other sweet shop in the country. It is decorated with soft pastel colours and floral patterns, instead of the conventional mundane colours. The boxes has also been designed in accordance with the interior, using floral pattens – giving it a fresh and lively look.

The prices have been designed in a way that nobody goes home empty-handed. The prices of sweets range between Tk 510 and Tk 1800 per kilo. In addition, the assorted box of sweets can be bought ranging from Tk 200 to Tk 2,500.

In a recent conversation with The Business Standard, Maitra also said that Mithaiwala seeks to ensure that everyone can enjoy their sweets, and hence it also offers sweets at unit price. 

"We want to share the sweetness of Mithaiwala with all types of customers, including the youth," Maitra said.

Mithaiwala was launched online through a Facebook page last year. Initially their target audience were the corporate class.

"Although in the first few months our profits were low, but we kept our quality high. Within a few months, the number of orders through our online page rose as previous customers recommended us to their friends and families," said Maitra.

Mithaiwala produced, packed and delivered seven thousand kilograms of sweets within seven months of its inception.

Using a time-apt market strategy has helped Mithaiwala grow its sale and turn the business into a brand.

"Our branding strategy is to make a spot in households," Maitra said about the brand strategy.

Since its inception in March 2019, Mithaiwala opened four outlets in Gulshan, Dhanmondi, and Elephant Road. The fifth outlet will be inaugurated in Banani very soon.

Talking about CSR, Maitra said currently Mithaiwala is sponsoring the education of 20 children at JAAGO Foundation. Simultaneously, it also seeks to recruit differently-abled persons in its sister concern ventures – Chaatwala and Kebabwala.

At present, Mithaiwala is dominating the market. It has also set an example of how market analysis can bring new ideas, which help to execute different business strategies to secure a significant place in the market.

Maitra suggested, "It is the high time we learnt that new and different ideas are game changing instruments."