Parryware Roca to expand sanitary range

Dec 15, 2007, 11:28 GMT

Chennai, Dec 15 (IANS) The city-based sanitaryware major Parryware Roca Private Limited has decided to beef up its premium sanitaryware range with a new brand - Crestia, a top company official said Saturday.

The company is a 50-50 partnership between Murugappa group's EID Parry (India) Limited and Roca Sanitario, Spain.

Presently, Parryware Roca has three brands in its portfolio - Roca and Parryware - in Rs.1.3 billion ($32 million) top end sanitaryware segment and Johnson Peddar in the mid priced segment.

'With Crestia the company hopes to increase its market share to 15 percent in the premium sanitaryware market up by 5 percent,' K.E. Ranganathan, managing director Parryware Roca, told the media here Saturday.

Priced Rs.8,000 upwards, the Crestia range will be imported from countries like China to cater to a segment that falls between Roca and Parryware.

According to him, Roca brand in the price range between Rs.10,000-Rs.40,000 launched a couple of months ago has notched up good market share of around 7 percent in the ultra premium market.

Currently importing the Roca range, Ranganathan said steps are being taken to make the products at the company's plants in Alwar, Rajasthan and Perundurai, Tamil Nadu.

Speaking about the current market trends A. Vellayan, the chairman of the company said people are willing to spend around 25 percent more to get a good bathroom.

Earlier the average spend on a bathroom was around Rs.50,000.

'Today customers demand new range and it is a challenge to meet the dynamic changing customer needs,' added Navneethan, a Parryware Roca dealer.

In its efforts to be a total bathroom solutions provider, Parryware Roca has decided to get into marketing of bathroom cabinets and cupboards.

The company will have a mix of imported (from Europe and South East Asia) and domestically made wooden products.

'We will launch the cupboards and cabinets sometime early 2008,' said Vellayan.

Asked about the brand spend, Ranganathan said the company has budgeted around Rs.450 million ($11 million) this year and plans to up it by Rs.500 million ($12 million) next year.

On the institutional market segment, Parryware Roca has signed agreements with most of the major builders in the country. It gets nearly 30 percent of its turnover from institutional sales.

Ranganathan said the company would close this year with a turnover of Rs.3.5 billion ($90 million).

© 2007 Indo-Asian News Service