Retail Test Case: Why Zudio And Westside Are Betting On A Six-Year-Old Fan Startup
Udaipur-based Oltao is quietly becoming the go-to fan brand for India’s fastest-growing fashion retailers
Bengaluru — In India’s fiercely competitive ceiling fan industry, dominated for decades by legacy giants, a startup from Udaipur is redefining how retail chains think about cooling — and consistency. With over 480 stores and counting, Tata Group’s fast-fashion retail chain Zudio has begun standardising Oltao ceiling and cassette fans in all its new stores and increasingly in refurbished outlets as well. Its sister brand Westside has also started incorporating Oltao products across select store formats.
The decision to move away from traditional vendors and toward a lesser-known, six-year-old company is no coincidence it’s a data-backed choice grounded in design, efficiency, and a refreshingly agile service experience.
Not Just a Fan – A Design Element
Retail design teams at Zudio and Westside cite one core factor that sets Oltao apart: minimalist fan architecture that supports visual merchandising goals. In tightly laid-out fashion stores, ceiling space is prime real estate. Oltao’s sleek, low-profile housings allow for uninterrupted sightlines across display areas — a crucial aesthetic consideration for brands pushing visual storytelling as a key in-store strategy.
“Most fans protrude and disrupt the ceiling line, especially in compact urban outlets,” explains a Tata retail planner. “Oltao’s fans are compact, powerful, and visually unobtrusive — it’s a small detail, but one that enhances the overall look and feel.”
The company’s flagship BLDC fans like the Oltao AeroTurbine, Nova Smart, and Chandelier Fan Series models feature aerodynamic blades, elegant matte finishes, and no visible fasteners — design touches that make them almost vanish into contemporary ceiling grids.
Speed Over Size: A Startup’s Edge
Yet it’s not just about looks. In retail, where store uptime is non-negotiable, reliability and quick support can make or break vendor relationships. According to service-ticket data reviewed by this publication, Oltao resolves customer service issues in an average of 1.8 days — significantly faster than the industry median of 4.6 days.
“In retail, downtime is worse than layout errors,” says a Westside facilities manager, requesting anonymity. “You can redesign a store layout over time, but if air circulation fails and shoppers are sweating, that’s a lost sale.”
“Speed is our superpower,” says Mehul Soni, the 31-year-old founder and CEO of Oltao. “When you build systems from scratch, you’re not tied to legacy limitations. We see service not as an afterthought, but as the product itself.”
From Udaipur to 800 Stores and Counting
What makes Oltao’s inclusion in Zudio’s expansion story more impressive is that it started just six years ago with a loan of ₹4.6 lakh and a small R&D unit in Udaipur, Rajasthan. Against all odds, the company resisted the conventional route of outsourcing to low-cost metros and instead chose to build its manufacturing base in the “City of Lakes.”
Today, the brand makes over 1,000 fans a month, employs mostly first-time industrial workers, and partners with local vendors for BLDC motor assembly, aluminum hub machining, and powder coating. Its 30,000 sq ft plant in Udaipur is now seen as a model for small-town industrial innovation, fuelling both employment and energy-efficient engineering.
Oltao’s current line-up of ceiling fans includes:
- BLDC Premium Ceiling Fans – Energy-efficient, remote-controlled, inverter-stabilised fans using 35W motors, ideal for commercial and home use.
- Smart Fans – Wi-Fi enabled, voice-controlled (compatible with Alexa & Google Assistant), and mobile-app controlled for automation enthusiasts.
- Cassette Fans – Designed specifically for modular false ceilings in retail and office spaces.
- Decorative Urban Range – Matte, minimalist fans crafted for design-conscious interiors.
All fans are available on oltao.in, Amazon, and Flipkart, as well as through select retail partners.
What This Means for the Indian Market
For the Indian electricals and retail hardware space, the Zudio-Westside shift marks a symbolic moment: a small-town startup has earned the trust of one of the nation’s most influential corporate groups not through branding muscle, but through real-world performance.
As Zudio’s store count is expected to cross 800 by the end of July, and Westside continues to modernise its presence, Oltao fans will likely be cooling thousands of shoppers daily, without them ever noticing the highest compliment for a design-first cooling product.
For Mehul and his team, this is just the beginning. Talks are already underway with other large-format retail clients and export markets in the Middle East and Africa.
“We’re not here to be the biggest brand,” Mehul smiles. “We’re here to be the most dependable one.”
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