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South is Omega's focus

Our Bureau


Sonali Bendre, brand spokesperson for Omega watches, signs on a poster featuring herself as part of a promotion in Chennai on Monday.

CHENNAI, Dec. 16

THE South is the focus for Omega, the premium Swiss watch brand from the Swatch group.

Speaking to newspersons here, the Deputy General Manager of Swatch Group India Pvt Ltd, Mr Gopalratnam Kannan, said that the brand would consolidate its presence in the Southern market by strengthening after sales service, improving product range and stepping up brand promotions.

There are 12 multi-brand outlets selling Omega in the South now but it might be placed in four or five more stores.

Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad would be the initial targets, after which the brand will focus on Salem, Madurai, Mangalore, Mysore, Tiruchi, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam.

Mr Kannan said that Swatch had opened a Mother Service Centre in New Delhi to provide prompt after sales service for Omega and Tissot. These centres would also train people in making and distributing spare parts, he said. The group was sourcing dials from the Indian market, he added.

The Swatch group plans to introduce three more brands, Breguet, Blancpain and Glasshoutte, in India next year. These watches would cost more than Rs 1.5 lakh, he said, adding that there was significant potential at the higher end. Apart from Omega, Swatch brands now in India include Longines, Swatch, CK, Rado and Tissot.

Mr Kannan claimed that the Swatch group's share of the premium segment in the Indian watch market crossed 80 per cent. However, he declined to give details of turnover or volume. The group turnover worldwide is 4.6 billion Swiss Francs, he said.

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