Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, July 2026 — Metro Brands Limited, one of India’s largest footwear specialty retailers, has elevated Meenakshi Samantaray to Vice President – Sports Marketing & Visual Merchandising. Having been with the company for over two years, she will now lead the strategic growth of Metro Brands’ expanding sports and athleisure portfolio while overseeing integrated marketing and visual merchandising initiatives across the business.
Meenakshi joined Metro Brands Limited in 2024 as AVP – Marketing & Visual Merchandising, where she led the company’s Sports Division, overseeing brands including FILA, Foot Locker, MetroActiv, and New Era. During her tenure, she played a pivotal role in launching Foot Locker, MetroActiv, and New Era in the Indian market while repositioning FILA within the rapidly growing athleisure segment.
She has been instrumental in building Metro Brands’ sports and lifestyle ecosystem by driving same-store sales growth, managing brand P&L, creating digital-first customer engagement strategies, strengthening CRM and loyalty programs, developing community-led marketing initiatives, and executing strategic collaborations with athletes, sneaker communities, fashion influencers, and brand partners. Her leadership has also extended to retail branding, visual merchandising innovation, corporate communications, public relations, and category-building initiatives that have strengthened Metro Brands’ position in India’s premium sports retail market.
Before joining Metro Brands, Meenakshi spent nearly five years with Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited, where she held several senior leadership positions including Vice President – Marketing & Communications (B2B), Vice President – Marketing, PR & Partnerships, and Director – Marketing & Public Relations at ZEE LIVE. During this period, she led integrated marketing, communications, trade marketing, public relations, strategic partnerships, and corporate branding initiatives across the ZEE Network and ZEE5. She also spearheaded the marketing and communications strategy for the International League T20 (ILT20), collaborating with the Emirates Cricket Board, franchise teams, broadcasters, and commercial partners.
Earlier in her career, Meenakshi held marketing leadership roles with ACC Cement, Future Group, and Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL), where she built extensive expertise across brand management, consumer marketing, media planning, corporate communications, CSR, ATL and BTL campaigns, digital marketing, retail activation, and shopper marketing.
Across more than fifteen years of experience, Meenakshi has established herself as a marketing leader with deep expertise in Sports Marketing, Brand Strategy, Visual Merchandising, Retail Marketing, Category Building, Consumer Marketing, Brand Launches, Digital Marketing, Customer Engagement, CRM & Loyalty, Public Relations, Corporate Communications, Strategic Partnerships, Events & Activations, Community Building, Retail Branding, Marketing Communications, P&L Management, and Business Growth.
Her elevation reflects Metro Brands’ continued investment in strengthening its leadership team as the company expands its presence in India’s fast-growing sports, athleisure, and premium lifestyle retail segments.
About Metro Brands Limited
Metro Brands Limited (MBL) is one of India’s largest footwear specialty retailers, operating nearly 600 stores across more than 130 cities. Founded in 1955 with its first Metro Shoes store in Mumbai and incorporated as Metro Brands Limited in 1977, the company has built a strong portfolio of leading footwear and lifestyle brands including Metro Shoes, Mochi, Walkway, DaVinchi, J. Fontini, Cheemo, while also serving as the exclusive distributor and retail partner for global brands such as Crocs in India.
In recent years, Metro Brands has expanded aggressively into the sports and athleisure category through partnerships with internationally recognized brands including FILA, Foot Locker, MetroActiv, and New Era. Supported by a robust supply chain, technology-enabled retail operations, strong vendor partnerships, and a growing e-commerce presence, Metro Brands continues to strengthen its position as one of India’s leading premium footwear and lifestyle retailers, delivering innovative products and exceptional customer experiences across physical and digital channels.
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