Aastha Almast, a Delhi-based entrepreneur, is the co-founder of ‘The New Shop,’ India’s first omni-channel convenience retail network, made it onto BW Businessworld’s prestigious list of ‘BW Retail World 40 under 40.’
Almast, who graduated with a PGDM in Fashion Marketing from Pearl Academy of Fashion as a 100 per cent merit scholarship student, has an impressive track record. She worked as a volunteer teacher for vocational skill development and training for schizophrenic patients at Sanjivini Society for Mental Health before venturing into the business world.
Almast’s professional journey started with working as a banker and financial analyst at organisations such as Bank of America and Standard and Poor’s Capital IQ. She eventually went on to establish ‘The New Shop’ with a pan-India presence, serving customers both online and in-store, 24/7/365.
With Almast’s leadership, ‘The New Shop’ scaled up from zero to 57 brick and mortar stores in just 20 months, an impressive achievement. The company’s revenue also grew sixty-fold in the same period, from Rs. 2 crore ARR to Rs. 60 crore ARR. The New Shop’s unique selling proposition is its round-the-clock availability, processing 300,000 orders per day and serving over 1 million customers to date. Almast’s entrepreneurial prowess earned her the ‘Retail Icon of the Year’ award at the Golden Spoon Awards 2022, and she has added her name it onto BW Businessworld’s eminent list of ‘BW Retail World 40 under 40.’ In addition, Almast was one of the youngest certified NSE stock-brokers at the age of 18 and is currently the co-chairperson of the Startup and Entrepreneurship Committee at the Delhi Management Association.
Apart from ‘The New Shop,’ Almast has founded two other startups, including Smartphone Gaming-Motion Punch Studios and Social Networking-Smartican, which pivoted to Online Reputation Management. With her outstanding achievements and impressive credentials, Aastha Almast is undoubtedly a rising star in the world of entrepreneurship.
