Dr Vivek Rasttogi joins as VP–IT, bringing 22 years of retail technology experience to the Rs 864-crore food and grocery retailer, which is looking to strengthen its digital and operational capabilities.
In fresh food retail, growth is not just about opening more stores. It is about ensuring that the right products reach the right stores at the right time, with minimal wastage and maximum inventory efficiency. As organised grocery retailers expand their physical networks and digital channels, technology is increasingly becoming central to managing this complexity.
Against this backdrop, KPN Farm Fresh has appointed Dr Vivek Rasttogi as Vice President – IT. With over 22 years of experience across retail technology, enterprise applications and digital transformation, Rasttogi joins the company at a time when technology integration could play a significant role in its next phase of growth.
KPN Farm Fresh reported operating revenue of Rs 863.58 crore in FY25, registering 116% growth over FY24. However, its reported net loss of Rs 223.55 crore and negative EBITDA of Rs 162.26 crore highlight the importance of translating rapid business expansion into operational efficiency and sustainable profitability.
A Growing Physical and Digital Business
KPN’s business now extends beyond its 300-plus-store network into digital grocery commerce. Its KPN Fresh Android application has crossed 1 million downloads on Google Play, with a 4.5-star rating and approximately 1.32 lakh reviews. The company states that it has served over 60 lakh customers.
The app offers an assortment spanning fruits and vegetables, staples, rice, dals, dairy, bakery, snacks, beverages, personal care and household essentials. Its proposition combines everyday value pricing, discounts on selected products, multiple payment options, order tracking and fast delivery in serviceable markets.
For KPN, integrating its physical stores with digital ordering presents an opportunity to improve inventory visibility, fulfilment efficiency and customer convenience. As the business scales, connecting store-level stock, procurement, replenishment and online demand will become increasingly important.
Bringing Deep Retail Technology Experience
Rasttogi’s professional experience spans Fabindia, Bestseller India, Reliance Retail, Future Group and Tata Consultancy Services.
Most recently, he served as Chief Technology Officer at Fabindia Overseas, where he led digital transformation initiatives involving SAP S/4HANA, SAP Commerce, SAP Analytics, Wondersoft Point of Sale and Gravty Loyalty Management.
Before that, he spent over seven years at Bestseller India as Head – SAP Retail & IT Applications, managing SAP Retail, Customer Activity Repository (CAR), Extended Warehouse Management (EWM), business intelligence, POS systems and brand websites. His projects included ERP migration, warehouse management, POS integration and robotics process automation.
His earlier experience includes General Manager – IT at Reliance Retail and a five-year association with Future Group, where he worked on SAP implementation across six group companies, warehouse management, mobility solutions and supply chain optimisation. He began his career with Tata Consultancy Services in its SAP Retail practice.
An academic as well as a technology professional, Rasttogi holds a PhD in Management, an MBA in Operations and Marketing from IIT Roorkee and a B.Tech in Chemical Engineering.
The Technology Priorities Ahead
For a fresh food and grocery retailer, the potential technology mandate extends well beyond conventional ERP and billing systems. Procurement planning, demand forecasting, inventory rotation, warehouse management and replenishment have a direct bearing on product availability, freshness and wastage.
Rasttogi’s experience in SAP Retail, CAR, EWM, ERP implementation and omnichannel integration provides a relevant foundation for addressing these challenges. Greater inventory visibility, improved forecasting, automated replenishment and better integration between physical stores and online orders could be important areas of focus.
Customer analytics also offers opportunities to understand purchase frequency, basket composition and regional consumption patterns, helping improve assortment planning, promotions and customer retention. Automation and AI could further support demand planning and operational decision-making.
KPN Farm Fresh has not yet publicly disclosed its existing enterprise technology architecture or the specific roadmap under Rasttogi’s leadership. The company’s priorities and the systems currently deployed will provide a clearer picture of the transformation ahead.
The Next Challenge: Profitable Scale
With revenue of Rs 863.58 crore and a growing physical and digital presence, KPN has reached a scale where operational productivity becomes as important as expansion. Its FY25 financial performance underlines the challenge of converting revenue growth into healthier operating economics.
Reducing fresh produce wastage, improving inventory turns, strengthening procurement efficiency and increasing store productivity could have a meaningful impact on business performance. Technology will be an important enabler, but its real value will be measured through these operating outcomes.
Rasttogi’s appointment brings experienced retail technology leadership to KPN at a critical stage of its evolution. The next phase will be about connecting its stores, supply chain and digital channels into a more integrated operating ecosystem – and ensuring that growth translates into a stronger, more financially sustainable food retail business.
For the larger story of KPN Fresh’s evolution, business model and 300-store milestone, read my earlier feature:
KPN Fresh: From a Rs 300 Beginning to a 300-Store Food-Retail Platform
