Business Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Wednesday, Sep 27, 2006
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Business Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Wednesday, Sep 27, 2006 ePaper |
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Marketing
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Strategy
Sudha Menon
Surging ahead Has soft-launched the first Probiking outlet in New Mumbai. By the end of 2007, the company plans to have a total of 17 Probiking showrooms. The launch of showrooms saw sales of Pulsar 180 cc and Avenger models shooting up.
Pune , Sept. 26 Two-wheeler major Bajaj Auto has struck pay dirt with its Probiking outlets that sells top-end motorcycle models and is stepping on the gas to grab a greater share of the market for these products by rapidly rolling out Probiking outlets across major metros over the next year. The company has firmed up plans to make a festive season debut in Hyderabad, Chennai, Ahmedabad and Kolkata, where it will launch Probiking outlets next month and has soft-launched the first Probiking outlet in New Mumbai at Vashi. New Delhi and Bangalore cities will see Probiking outlets launch by the end of the current fiscal. "By the end of Calender 2007, we plan to have a total of 17 company-owned Probiking showrooms and a further 30 franchisee-owned outlets," Mr K Srinivas, Vice-President, HR, and the person in charge of the Probiking initiative at BAL said. The company will invest approximately Rs 25 crore in addition to the cost of property, to roll out the showrooms by end 2007, he added. With the BAL Managing Director, Mr Rajiv Bajaj, repeatedly asserting that the company will progressively foray into bigger, more powerful bikes at the rate of one every year, the company will keep the key Probiking outlets in metros as company-owned showrooms, while those in second rung centres, with a latent demand for premium products, will be operated by franchisees. BAL's optimism on the Probiking front, meanwhile, seems well-placed considering the fact that the launch of the showrooms and the creation of four different dealer networks to sell two wheelers to specific target audiences, saw sales of the Pulsar 180 cc and Avenger models shooting up from the 1,200 per month to 4,000 units. "We started the Probiking showroom in Pune in August 2005, so by July this year we completed one year. The total sale in this period from the outlet was 1,846 bikes — 957 Avengers and 889 Pulsar 180s. From the level of 15-30 bikes in Pune we are roughly averaging 150 bikes a month now," Mr Srinivas said.
Volumes to grow
"Volumes are expected to grow because of some exciting product launches... the showroom will complement a great product with a superlative buying experience." While the showrooms currently showcase and sell only the Avenger and the Pulsar models, the company has plans to launch at least two more premium bikes before the end of the current fiscal, Mr Srinivas said.
More Stories on : Strategy | Two/Three Wheelers | Bajaj Auto Ltd
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