HUFT by Rashi Sanon Narang: A Pet Store with Rs 312.8 Crore Turnover

Unhappy with bad pet services, Rashi Sanon Narang launched HUFT, the online pet store to fulfil pet parents' need for good quality food and other pet products, without compromising with their pet's health.
February 5, 2025
Rashi Sanon Narang, Founder of Heads Up for Tails

Pets are a part of our family but not every one thinks the same, specially the pet store providers. Disturbed by the bad services and products for her dog, Rashi Sanon Narang took things in her hand and launched Heads Up for Tails. An online pet store offering high-quality pet care food and products, without any compromise on pet care.

The Problem: Why Does this Matter? 

Rashi has a pet dog named Sara, a Labrador. Her journey of entrepreneurship began when it was the first birthday of her beloved pet dog. She searched for top-quality products to celebrate this special occasion but was very disappointed after finding nothing. There is a lack of pet products in stores because, in India, the pet industry is still growing. Frustrated by this lack of options, Rashi turned her route towards entrepreneurship and decided to start her own business, Heads Up for Tails.

The Solution: Heads Up for Tails

HUFT by Rashi Sanon Narang

When experiencing the challenges of finding toys or clothes, Narang began experimenting with creating soft furniture, clothes, and toys. She started making accessories for her dog. After getting a positive response from Sara, she began approaching around 200 pet stores across India. Unfortunately, they didn’t show any interest in her products and shut their doors. Later, In 2008, at the age of 24, Rashi took a bold step to launch her first pet store named Heads Up for Tails in a spare room in her Delhi house.

Challenging Times

Narang’s journey was not easy as she didn’t have any prior experience in this field. However, she began learning about merchandising, product development, marketing, and numerous other things that would have helped her in the startup. In the beginning, when Rashi talked to vendors, they didn’t know how to make the products she was thinking of.

Challenge: Vendors being offended when asked to make products for cats and dogs. In early days, when Rashi tried to sell her products, they would have refused to keep them.

Solution: So, Narang decided to sell her products directly to customers either through pop-up stores or a small store. As she began selling, people got to know about her business and started involving in it. Soon, Heads Up for Tails began growing, and she started selling online, too.

Challenge: When the business was doing well. In 2009, Rashi’s husband was transferred to another country. She moved with him.

Solution: However, she didn’t close her venture; instead, continued running it remotely.

Challenge: Small team and no funding.

Solution: In 2016 when Rashi returned to India, Ridhima Coelho and Sandeep Atmaram became co-founders of HUFT. In addition, she also got a few HNI investors. In 2021, the Series A funding round was led by Sequoia Capital and Verlinvest and raised Rs 277 crore.

Business Model: How Do They Make Money?

The startup offers B2B and B2C services. They sell pet food, supplements, toys, and other related products online and offline.

The revenue increased year by year, with Rs 215.6 crore in FY22 to Rs 312.8 crore in FY23.

Future Vision: What’s Next?

In 2017, Heads Up for Tails launched its first-ever spa in Bengaluru after a terrible experience at dog spas. Currently, HUFT operates over 90 stores and 65 pet spas nationwide and operates HUFT foundations. In the future, Narang has decided to continue growing her businesses by adding new and innovative products.

HUFT by Rashi Sanon Narang

A Glimpse at the Founder’s Life  

Rashi did a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) from Cardiff University. After completing her degree, she began studying Human Resource Management at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Narang had a strong educational background and worked at a multinational bank. Before delving into the world of entrepreneurship, Rashi served as a human resource manager at Citigroup. However, her love for pets inspired her to become an entrepreneur.

Aditya

Aditya Farrad

Aditya is a seasoned business expert and the founder of Moneymint. He became a self-made millionaire at a young age thanks to his various online businesses. With years of experience running his own successful businesses, Aditya understands the unique challenges and opportunities that come with entrepreneurship.

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