• Investment World
• eWorld
• Brand Line
• Mentor
• Life
• Brand Quest
• The New Manager
• BL Club
• Smartbuy
• Books
• Gallery

Stocks

• Quotes
• SE Diary
• Scoreboard
• Open-End Mutual Fund

Cross Currency

• Rates
  
  

Shipping

• Ports
  
  

Archives

• Yesterday
• Datewise
• Resources
• In Focus
• In Depth
• Events 2007

Group Sites

• The Hindu
• The Hindu ePaper
• Business Line
• Business Line ePaper
• Sportstar
• Frontline
• The Hindu eBooks
• The Hindu Images

Swarovski watches

Bindu D Menon

New Delhi, July 4 After mesmerising its consumers world over with its range of crystals, Austrian company Swarovski is entering the watch segment in India. “Swarovski has made a name for itself in jewellery and fashion accessories over the last few decades. We want to explore the possibilities of crystal as it ventures into the field of watch-making,” Ms Sukanya Dutta Roy, Country Manager, Consumer Goods Business told Business Line.

Noting that introducing Swarovski crystals to the world of watches is the culmination of over three years of research and development, she said the company will introduce the category to its customers in India.

“We will have at least 45 models in the watch category. These watches will be priced between Rs 25,000 to Rs 77,000. Metal, leather, rubber will be enhanced with crystals and Swarovski’s logo and its emblematic swanflower motif in each model,” she said.

Speaking on Swarovski’s retail expansion, Ms Dutta Roy said the company is looking to expand to 30 stores by 2012. The company in the gifting, fashion accessories and home decor business has 17 stores currently. “We anticipate an investment of Rs 20 crore just for the fit-outs alone as a Swarovski store in India will be similar to one anywhere in the globe,” she said adding its tie-ups with large retailers like Shopper’s Stop is yielding a larger customer base.

On the revenues, Ms Dutta Roy said that India is a promising market for the brand even though currently it contributes a miniscule to the global turnover. “India contributes about € 4 million (Rs 26 crore apprx) currently. We are looking at a 26 per cent growth for the current year (January to December).”

More Stories on : Retailing | Watches & Accessories

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Copyright © 2009, The Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu Business Line