Known for its entrepreneurial spirit and shrewd business acumen, the Gujarati community has long maintained a global reputation for imaginative savvy deals. This reputation was on full display recently in Ahmedabad, where members of the Jain community made a massive purchase of luxury cars at the initiative of the Jain International Trade Organization (JITO).
In a single initiative, JITO members across India purchased 186 luxury cars from ₹60 million ₹1.34 crore, ensuring a huge discount ₹21.22 million crowns. Total purchase value? Stunning ₹149.54 crore, according to The Times of India.
While the drive was nationwide, Gujaratis, especially from Ahmedabad, made up the majority of buyers. JITO, which boasts more than 65,000 members across India, has partnered with dealers of premium brands such as Audi, BMW, Mercedes and even Samsung to negotiate better prices for its members.
“Community buying allows us to negotiate harder. Brands benefit from assured volumes and lower marketing costs, while members get savings,” said Himanshu Shah, vice-chairman of JITO Apex, TOI reported.
“During this drive alone, members purchased luxury cars worth ₹149.54 crore, saving ₹21.22 crore in total,” Shah added.
Following the success of this initiative, JITO has now established a dedicated vertical for community shopping and is extending these offerings to various product categories including electronics, pharmaceuticals and jewelery among others.
Community shopping with a dash of empowerment
TOI further reported that it is not just Jains who are harnessing the power of bulk community buying.
The Bharwad community has also taken this idea and taken it a step further. It came up with an initiative to strengthen self-employment among the youth. Bharwad Yuva Sangathan Gujarat recently collected orders for 121 JCB machines at an average discount ₹3.3 million per unit and a total discount of Rs ₹4 crores.
“Our campaign helps young people start their own businesses. Those who do not have a good credit score have been given JCBs with zero down payment, only on PAN and Aadhaar verification – with a permanent community repayment guarantee,” said Sangathan President Dilip Bharwad.
These examples underscore how Gujarati communities continue to lead the way in collective economic strategies.
