Reported By:
| Edited By: Sumit Moitra |Source: DNA |Updated: Mar 18, 2018, 02:04 AM IST
Havells India Ltd, a major player in the lighting and fixture segment, is looking to expand in the domestic and overseas markets.
After the acquisition of European brand Sylvania in 2007, Havells wants to go beyond water heaters and fans in the domestic market, while also eyeing newer markets like Eastern Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia.
“We are looking at more possibilities, At the moment, we haven’t frozen any plan but we are looking at small domestic appliances that would suit our distribution channels. That’s where our research is going on,” Anil Gupta, joint managing director, Havells India, told DNA.
Havells, which has been selling ceiling fans, launched its water heater in October and is now researching other home appliances it can introduce using its existing distribution network.
“Earlier shopkeepers recommended our products. But after an aggressive brand building exercise, we now have consumers asking for our products. Its time we start leveraging the brand more aggressively in the home appliance sector,” Gupta, who was in city to attend an electrical goods fair, said.
Outside the country, the company plans to take the Sylvania brand to newer markets in 2011. “Sylvania is strong in European and Latin American markets. Now the growth markets will be Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa. In Asia, we have a presence in Thailand and we will now be looking at countries like Indonesia and Malaysia,” he said.
In Europe and Latin America, Havells would use Sylvania’s brand strength to export the company’s traditional product range. “We will now utilise Sylvania’s brand value and distribution reach to launch Havells’ own products. This is now our future strategy. We are starting with switchgears which will be launched in these markets in the middle of 2011”.
In India, Gupta doesn’t see the two brands competing with each other. “Sylvania is perceived to be a high-end brand. So, while Havells’ entire range caters to the mass market, there are categories of customers who also look for high-end ranges like precision illumination”.
