Sylcon Unleashed: The Vision, the Craft, the Empire That Inspires Kerala

Sylcon's history is an inspiring tale of determination, innovation, and family entrepreneurship that has transformed Kerala's retailing scene for more than eight decades. Started by K. Hamza, who started out as a 12-year-old belt-maker in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in 1942, Sylcon's roots are in an attitude of adventure and an unrelenting quest to succeed. Hamza's journey began from Ceylon's leather workshops to setting up a bag unit in Madras and, later, to opening Madras Plastic House in Cochin in 1963.

 

The brand's biggest moment was 1968, when Hamza's visionary son, K.V. Shiraz, launched Sylcon's first outlet at Kochi. The store, soon, emerged as a fashion trendsetter that introduced new-to-market retail practices like rack display and introduced worldwide footwear and accessories brands to the state of Kerala. With the dynamic leadership of Shiraz, Sylcon grew at rocket speed, the fastest-growing footwear retail chain from South India with a reputation and setting new customer service and retail experience benchmarks.

 

Today, Sylcon is a ₹1,500 crore retail conglomerate that operates in supermarkets, lifestyle jewellery, beauty, food retail, and upmarket dining. The group is spending big on technology and people development, while the third generation, Faizan Mohamed, Ameena Neha, and Sarah Sanam, get ready to drive the brand into the future. Fundamentally, Sylcon continues to be devoted to quality, innovation, and corporate social responsibility, building on a legacy that took root as a dream in 1942 and continues to spur Kerala's retail sector.

 

Source: Mid-Day, ED Times, Sylcon Official Website