Bosch Enters Premium Home Appliances Segment, Plans Facility

Bosch Enters Premium Home Appliances Segment, Plans Facility

Leading home appliances maker Bosch has marked its foray into the Indian market with a new range of premium products including washing machines,dishwashers, refrigerators, and dryers. These products are marketed by the Bosch and Siemens Home Appliances (BSH) Group through its fully owned subsidiary BSH Home Appliances India Pvt Ltd. “With this launch, our aim is to bring in the world’s best in consumer appliances which will appeal widely to the young and classy Indian population,” BSH Home Appliances’ managing director and CEO Marc Hantscher (marc.hantscher@bshg.com) comments.

As a part of its distribution strategy, Bosch aims to have pan-India presence in 2012, but in a phased manner. “Our products will be made available across the country, however, in two phases. The initial product range will be distributed through multi-brand retailers in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi-NCR; and the second phase will seethe products being made available across India,” Hantscher adds. Currently, the company has appointed120 dealers and plans to increase the number to 900 across the country by next year, and also plans to have at least six technicians in every state.

Moreover, the company is targeting the premium segment through its products, and this is also indicated in the pricing. Prices start at Rs. 28,990 in the washing machine category; Rs. 29,990for dishwashers; and the refrigerator comes with a price tag of Rs. 34,990. On this, Dirk C Dedekind (dirk.dedekind@bshg.com), marketing head of the firm, asserts, “We are only targeting the premium segment and not the masses. And in the years to come we aim to be the market leader in this segment.” He informs that the companywill initially focus on televisioncommercials and cinema ads in order to build brand awareness amongst the target audience.

Additionally, the company is also planning to set up a manufacturing unit in Chennai for washing machines. “We have received an approval for acquiring land in Chennai to set up the facility,” says Hantscher. The facility willproduce around 400,000 washing machines in a year, he hints.