Vinod Patel

Infobox Politician (general)
name= Vinod Patel


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title= Member of House of Representatives (Fiji)
Ba West Indian Communal Constituency
term_start= 1994
term_end= 1997
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successor= New constitution
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birth_place= Ba, Fiji
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party= National Federation Party
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profession= Businessman
religion= Hindu
footnotes= He has been an active member of the Ba Football Association for a long time.

Vinod Patel is a Fiji Indian businessman, soccer administrator and politician. He is the Chairman of Vinod Patel and Company Limited which owns a chain of hardware shops throughout Fiji.

Vinod Patel is a strong supporter of the Ba football team and was their manager for a long time.

He entered politics as a councillor in Ba Town Council. He was subsequently elected the mayor and served two successful terms before moving to national politics. He easily won the Ba West Indian Communal Constituency for the National Federation Party(Fiji) in the 1994 general election [cite news|title= Fiji Times '94 General Election Scoreboard|url= |work= |publisher=Fiji Times |date= 28 February 1994|accessdate=2007-06-11 ] . During the 1999 and 2001 elections he attempted to re-enter Parliament as a member for Ba West Indian Communal Constituency but was easily defeated by the Fiji Labour Party candidate.

"'Vinod Patel (Hardware)

Company History"'

Vinod Patel & Co. Ltd is a family business, named after the founder of the company, the eldest brother of a family originating from Ba town in Fiji.

Vinod Patel left school at the age of 16 to work so that his earnings could go towards supplementing the family’s income. Less than a year later, his younger brother left school and joined the workforce for the same reason. After working at hardware stores in Ba and nearby towns, the brothers thought it was time that they had a business of their own.

"'The First Store"'

It all started with a calculated risk. A hard earned bankroll of ₤1600 and a loan of ₤1000 from a family friend. It was just enough to rent a wooden premises, stock it with hardware and open up for business. April, 1962 was the inception of the first Vinod Patel store in Ba Town.

Business was good for Vinod Patel, good enough to expand and open a second branch in Rakiraki in 1965, a town without any hardware store.

The Ba store did well until the fire of March, 1966. The brothers lost everything in the blaze that ripped through several shops on the main street of Ba. Despite the huge setback, the brothers brought about a fierce determination to make the business a bigger success. From then on it was a matter of seeking out opportunity and working hard to make it a success.

The Ruins of the 1966 Fire

The aftermath of the 1974 Hurricane Bebe opened a window of opportunity – there was a drastic shortage of nails in the country. Vinod Patel established Ba Industries Limited – a nail manufacturing factory to cater for the increase in demand.

After over two decades of fluctuations in setbacks, opportunities and expansions since its inception, the company reached a stable financial position. This saw the business confidently expand into towns and compete with already established hardware stores such as Nadi and Lautoka and secure a large share of the market. By this time all six brothers of the Vinod Patel family were in the business and the future looked promising.

With Vinod Patel & Co Ltd’s strong standing in the Fiji market and the company’s long term commitment to their customers’ needs, the current structure is well geared to take on the challenges of the next decade and beyond. Today...

Vinod Patel & Co. Ltd. has branches located at all major towns and cities, employs over 700 staff and has a product range of more than 35 000 items. This is the company’s commitment to bring its customers the widest range and highest quality products at competitive and affordable prices.

Today

The company has strategic partners and a distributor network that fully serves the needs of Fiji and the other Pacific Island countries. A strong network of distributors in the major Pacific Island nations allows the company to maintain a consistent service and supply within the South Pacific region.

In addition, associate manufacturing companies; Ba Industries Limited (BIL) and Tubemakers and Roofmart Limited (TRL) provide the nation with quality roofing nails, galvanized and wire nails, PVC pipes and fittings, metal roofing and walling materials, farm fencing, chain link fence, barbed wire and a complete range of structural and reinforcing steel.

This investment has brought in a new dimension in providing quality products at a reasonable price. Today, both companies are leaders in their respective fields and now carry the internationally renowned ISO9000 accreditation. BIL has won numerous quality awards and commendations including the Prime Minister's 'Exporter of the Year' award.

As Fiji’s biggest hardware firm, Vinod Patel & Co. Ltd. has accepted that the 21st century approach to consumers is to make it a 'one-stop-shop' and hence the vision of 'progress through diversification'. As a result of this, Vinod Patel & Co. Ltd. has lately added comprehensive Homeware and Giftware divisions to the firm. Vinod Patel & Co. Ltd. aims to be the consumer’s complete first choice in products for modern living – from laying the initial foundation of your house, to providing the décor, furnishings and necessities to make your house into a home.

Nirav Amin

References

http://www.vinodpatel.com.fj/