Swiss watchmaker Frederique Constant is now looking to tap into the India market to drive growth. The luxury watch brand was re-launched in India in 2010.

The watchmaker is targeting cities like Agra and Goa that have a substantial tourist populations and brand awareness. The probability of having outlets in other north Indian cities is also being explored.

Currently, the brand is present in 13 cities, which include metros like Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai and Bangalore and other tier-II towns like Kochi, Pune, Surat and Ahmedabad.

“We have around 32 point of sales across these 13 cities. Over the next five years we are looking to increase our point of sales to 40,” Aletta FF Stas-Bax, Member of the Executive Board, Frederique Constant, told BusinessLine .

According to her, the company would also look to tap the duty-free store model at airports that have substantial flow of international travellers. At present, it has three stores – one each at the Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi airports.

Frederique Constant is aiming for executives and B-school graduates as its prospective buyers. Frederique Constant’s “affordable luxury” range – that consists of about 70 models here in India – is priced between ₹50,000 and ₹2.8 lakhs here. All watches are imported and the brand competes with the likes of Longiness and Raymond Weil.

Sales model

The company, at present, sells watches through the franchise model and multi-brand stores. It has tied up with local partners or smaller players – like Prime or Watch Time - who have a strong regional footprint for displaying its offerings. Stas-Bax, however, ruled out the probability of setting up standalone stores in the country in the immediate future.

“We still have time and scope to expand our footprint. Immediately, there are no plans to have mono-boutiques,” she said.

comment COMMENT NOW