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[ February 27, 2020 by HomeCon 0 Comments ]

Vinod Cookware: Revolutionizing the kitchenware market

Vinod Cookware, established in 1962, has a turnover of Rs 180 crore. Sunil Agrawal, Director, Vinod Cookware, shares the future plans of the company.

What was the ‘aha’ moment that inspired the founders to start the business?
The birth of Vinod was planted by Mr. Rajeram Agarwal, my father. During the years as an employee of a popular cookware firm, he realized he is not tailored for the 9 to 5 job and he was more of an Entrepreneur. With that, the foundation of his cookware business – ‘Vinod’ was laid which was nothing but a small stainless-steel utensil manufacturing unit at Bhandup, in Mumbai, in 1962. My takeover of the brand was after my father’s demise in 2010.

How did the company diversify into different product categories?
Initially we were only into manufacturing pressure cookers but as we saw the Kitchen appliance market developing. we felt the need to expand our product vertical range and introduce new variety of products in all the sections. Currently we have our product across sectors like pressure cookers, stainless steel products, Hard Anodised products, Zest non-stick products, Platinum series and Bottles. Our Best sellers have been Vinod Pressure cookers and latest best-selling product category is the Triply Series. Our latest technology is India’s first Three layered construction, encouraging the Stainless-Steel adoption in India. It comprises of 3 layer of Stainless Steel-Aluminium-Stainless Steel sandwiched technology. Going forward we plan to expand laterally introducing more technology with a mix of innovation

What is the USP of the products?
The products have been Ergonomically designed for every homemaker & Chef. Breaking the Indian stereotype, the cookware, allows burn free and even cooking experience in Stainless steel. We have recently launched “Triply Platinum Series” which comes in 3 layers i.e.  Stainless Steel – Aluminium – Stainless steel. “. The inner layer is 18/8 food-grade which helps in maintaining hygiene and enables contamination free cooking. The second layer is made of aluminium it helps even distribution of heat for even and burn-free cooking. The third layer is made up of magnetic stainless steel 430 which makes the cookware induction friendly along with the usage of Gas & Stove. We have been extensively promoting TriPly Series and it’s an instant hit amongst our consumers.

Where does manufacturing happen? What is special about Vinod’s manufacturing process?
Vinod Cookware has three manufacturing units in Palghar spread across xxx acres. Vinod cookware has been revolutionising Indian Kitchen Appliance with its technology the machineries used to manufacture these utensils were first introduced by us in India.

Who is the target audience and clients?
Our clients are retailers and distributors. We also have our presence online in partnership with Flipkart and Amazon. Our Target audience always has been home makers and chefs. We are intending to institutionalise our products and supply it to Big Hotels, Restaurants and Colleges as well.

What is a retail strategy?
We have one strategy applied to all the products. We have product ranging across all the verticals but we are mostly famous for our range of pressure cookers which we manufacture using sandwich bottom technology. We have been focussed on using this same technique for our manufacturing other products as well. We have always introduced newer technologies in the industry and have been the first timers be it revolutionising the SAS technology, Sandwich bottom technology or to bring PFOA free non-stick cookware to the country. 

How is the company using digital platforms?
With the blooming E-commerce sector and many businesses going online it was inevitable not to be present on the online retail platform. We have made our omni-channel presence and tied up with Amazon & Flipkart. Also maintaining the social media handles on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube has helped to attract lot of traction and gain popularity. Collaborating with the influencers and bloggers add another brownie point and helps to extend our reach amongst all the age groups and keep the brand alive.

Who are the competitors? How is the company staying ahead of them?
Every company who is into manufacturing kitchen appliances is a competition to us. The blend of product differentiation and Market Knowledge has kept us ahead of our competitors. It’s only via understanding the Markets, that one could design products, that could be the game changer in the Industry. It’s the confluence of both, planned long term. Vinod has always given strong emphasis on Quality as well as R&D, Consumption habits and studying its audience, before any launch be it bottle or the biggest being SAS Cookware. With changing trends, we predict the future trends, and that’s what makes us unique too.

What are the future plans for the company?
We intend to focus on launching products in our recently launched SAS TriPly Series. We have strong market presence in the Northern and southern India and have our brand presence across 2000 stores. We aim to cross 10,000 touch points by the end of 2020 and focus our radar will be the capital cities in the eastern and the southern regions. We are also going to announce the launch of our first Brick and Mortar store shortly.

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[ February 25, 2020 by HomeCon 0 Comments ]

Swiss luxury fabric maker Jakob Schlaepfer forays into Indian market

Swiss luxury fabric maker Jakob Schlaepfer forayed into the Indian market with the launch of a pop-up installation at the STIR Gallery in DLF Chattarpur Farms, New Delhi.

Conceptualised by architect Akshat Bhatt of Architecture Discipline in creative collaboration with fashion designer Amit Aggarwal, the installation titled “Parade of Souls” comprises a set of mannequins that stand dramatically within a glass box with exaggerated drapes in nine hand-picked Jakob Schlaepfer fabric pieces.

“The ‘Prade of Souls’ is a reflection of the collective human march through days, months, and years, where one seldom gets the chance to stay static or deliberate and aims to generate a sort of dynamism that provokes contemplation,” the brand said in a statement.

Akshat Bhatt, Principal Architect at Architecture Discipline said, “As a designer, you are often tasked to reference someone else’s aspirations in a way they could not have imagined. With this installation, it was rather pertinent for us to recognize the merit of the exercise beyond just being a representation of the brand itself – to pose questions to the viewer and the world at large: Are we individuals that identify ourselves? Are we a part of an army or a tribe that stands out? And the idea for the installation came out of these conversations, in trying to find a way to express the questions of introspection and reflection spatially.”

Fashion designer Amit Aggarwal said, “I think what I loved most about the Schlaepfer fabrics is that they have a distinct form of their own, which sat perfectly with our aesthetic as a brand, of mixing fluidity with structure. The fabrics were very malleable and so thoughtful. I also think that a lot of different materials woven together to create a textile range is such an exciting proposition for any fashion designer.”

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[ February 25, 2020 by HomeCon 0 Comments ]

Blown Studio expands in Bangalore

Premiere salon Blown Studio has launched expanded in Bangalore by launching its third salon in new BEL road. The 1500 sq.ft salon with chic interiors and edgy décor is a perfect blend of sophistication.

Conceptualized by entrepreneur Menaka Bhandary, the new outlet is all about opulence and luxury, with a classy and premium vibe. Located in the part of town which is considered Bangalore’s old soul, the salon adds sparkle to this neighborhood to create a new and vibrant element. 

Menaka Bhandary, Founder of Blown Studio, says, “Blown Studio has been created for Bangaloreans who are looking for a unique experience.  We want to bring a different and glamorous experience, highly trained therapists and stylists, where customers in this part of town will now be able to get the best of a Blown experience.”

[ February 21, 2020 by HomeCon 0 Comments ]

How the organized furniture industry evolving in India?

Shubhojit Mahalanobis | General Manager | Danube Home

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[ February 21, 2020 by HomeCon 0 Comments ]

Sources Unlimited launches its flagship store in Delhi

Sources Unlimited, one of the pioneers in introducing high-end international furniture, accessories and lighting solutions to the Indian market, has recently launched its flagship showroom in Delhi.

The new store is located at M G Road. The ambience matches the furniture, furnishing articles, accessories that are on display offering an ultimate luxury shopping experience. The products are showcased in a thoughtful manner bringing out their true essence for clients to feast their eyes on.

The interiors of the multi-brand showroom are kept simple and muted to allow full focus on the furniture, lighting, accessories and wallcoverings and also to extend the sophistication they convey. The space, conjured in a monochromatic palette is segregated into different zones to give a feel of walking through a beautifully designed home.

The brand opened its first showroom in Mumbai in 2013.

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[ February 19, 2020 by HomeCon 0 Comments ]

Ellementry launches store at at DLF Galleria Market, Gurgaon

Lifestyle home décor brand Ellementry has launched its new store in Gurgaon. The store in
Gurgaon is located at DLF Galleria Market.

The charming store in all-white sports a chic and subtle industrial design through the various
metal and wooden shelves that display a blissful range of kitchenware, tableware, wall,
furniture and home décor pieces all handcrafted to perfection. The high-quality products
are not only stunningly simple and beautiful, but also functional, and follow strict food
safety norms as per international standards.

Ayush Baid, Founder, Ellementry said that we are a brand that designs handmade products
that are not only beautiful but functional too. “We follow food safety norms as per
international standards. Our success as we enter the second year of operations is a result of
the tremendous response we have been getting from our customers,” he added.

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[ February 19, 2020 by HomeCon 0 Comments ]

Creaticity: Inspiring the joy of home creation

A decade after it began, Pune’s Ishanya Mall was relaunched this year as a one-stop destination for furniture, furnishing and décor products. Today, it houses over 52,000 home décor ideas across 2 lakh square feet of space, with F&B and entertainment options thrown in.

Mahesh M, CEO of Creaticity believes in using research and data as a tool to better understand customer behaviour, before introducing personalised and targeted services for them. So, on observing that 40% of Creaticity’s customers comprised couples with young children, it extended its kids’ area to almost 15000 square feet and added elements like a trampoline park and storyteller to keep the young ones engaged while their parents shopped.

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[ February 19, 2020 by HomeCon 0 Comments ]

Praxis Home Retail’s passion for consumer connect

Originally a part of Future Group, Praxis Home Retail was born as a brand in January 2018 with its own board and governance. Its retail entity, Home Town, currently has over 46 stores. Since it started out as a tech-enabled company, Praxis Home Retail had the requisite infrastructure in place.

Its CTO, Arun Gupta, reveals that his team had to build on this foundation to keep pace with rapidly changing technology. This meant making careful choices to optimize costs and ensure better RoI.

 

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[ February 19, 2020 by HomeCon 0 Comments ]

64% of Indian homemakers aspire to become entrepreneurs

What holds the 600 million Indian women who have entrepreneurial dreams from stepping out of their homes and fulfilling their aspirations? 69% are worried about insufficient funds, while 63% are concerned about their domestic responsibilities. Another 39% do not have access to the right guidance while 36% lack confidence. Almost 64% of the respondents wanted to become a businessperson to gain financial independence, while 54% wanted to gain their own identity.

This was the findings of the first ever Britannia Marie Gold Indian Women Entrepreneurship survey report. Nielsen conducted this survey among 1,267 non-working housewives in Delhi, Lucknow, Mumbai, Pune, Kolkata, Asansol, Chennai, and Coimbatore in the age group of 25-45 years. It found that Indian homemakers hold ambitions of becoming entrepreneurs and finding financial independence but encountered many hurdles.

The report also found that of the respondents with entrepreneurial aspirations 36% wanted to get into tailoring and fashion designing while 28% wanted to consider opting for beauty treatments and another 26% wanted to start their own boutique or shop.

Ali Harris Shere, VP, Marketing, Britannia Industries, said, “The new generation of homemakers, however, seeks to ensure their personal interests so that they do not take a back seat. This research study proves our observations and identifies barriers — financial support, guidance and confidence, which we want to help address. My initiative aims to homemakers who have the ability to find reserves within them to do more and be more.’ It fuels them to go ahead and launch their own ventures, contributing to their families and to the overall economy,” Ali added.

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[ February 19, 2020 by HomeCon 0 Comments ]

Designer Ritu Kumar introduces home collection

Ritu Kumars’ passion for rediscovering and restoring Indian textiles has been the brand’s signature since its inception 50 years ago. The eponymous label is now all set to embark on a new journey with the introduction of Ritu Kumar Home, a contemporary take on traditional Indian textiles, architecture and motifs.

Featuring a wide range of bed linen, wallpapers, tableware and home décor. The collection comprises a versatile and modern selection of pieces for the coziest corners of one’s home and is deeply rooted in Indian craftsmanship.

Ritu Kumar Home defines comfortable luxury for homes that like to tell their own story. With a vintage lens it evokes nostalgia of long summer days, decadent winter nights, the leisurely strolls around the street avenues of ‘Calcutta’ which would often lead one to the imposing Victoria Memorial. It reminds one of the pitter patter of monsoon days and mornings in quiet nooks which is hard to find now but yearned for by many.  

On the launch of the Home collection, designer Kumar says “Our heritage is closely linked to Indian textiles and it lends seamlessly to furnishings. Hence, it was only natural to move into this direction to make beautiful Indian textiles, prints and motifs a part of one’s everyday life as well.” 

“The Ritu Kumar brand has continuously sought to recognize the pulse of the consumer while never steering away from the core philosophy. From Couture to Pret and now Home, we aim to be distinctly identifiable as the world of Ritu Kumar.” adds Amrish Kumar, Managing Director, Ritu Kumar. 

The collection was recently launched at select Ritu Kumar stores and also online.