Claiming that its retail foray has paid huge dividends, Schneider Electric India has asserted that it will stay focused on retail route to penetrate deeper into small towns and cities. The French maker of power equipment and energy-efficient products seeks to grow the brand into a household name in the country.
“We made a foray into retail business in India after acquiring Luminous two years ago. With Luminous, we have today 50,000 plus sales points across regions, and specific products are being developed to grow the retail business. We made Luminous as our retail arm in India. We want to accelerate retail expansion to cover more locations. So, it has been a very good success on the retail front,” Anil Chaudhry, Country President & Managing Director – India, Schneider Electric, told The Hindu .
The company has been distributing a range of products that include switches, sockets and distribution systems for home and small and medium business segments through retail outlets. “We are very much committed and focused on retail business,” he added.
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In the immediate term, Schneider Electric is looking at expanding geographical presence, partners and retail outlets in Tier 2, 3 and 4 locations. Also, it has embarked on Xperience Efficiency Yatra across 50 cities to collaborate and share knowledge on energy challenges as a part of retail growth plan. “Our intention is to become a brand that is known in each and every house in the country,” Mr Chaudhry said.
The company’s retail focus has also been backed by a strong local R & D operations. Currently, there are over 1,250 engineers working on designing and developing products not just for India, but also for global requirements.
The R &D team also gets inputs from a strong marketing team on the specifications of the products. “India will remain a strong R & D hub for the group.
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The availability of talent, knowledge and skill in the country make Schneider Electric use India for its overall innovation and R & D,” he said.
Schneider, which is celebrating 50 years of India operations, has made at least six acquisitions in the last 7-8 years to grow its business. Currently, it operates 32 factories.