Rado tapping the Indian luxury market

With luxury retailing becoming popular in India, Swiss watch

brand Rado feels Indian consumers will eventually catch up with international buyers in average ticket size. Currently, the average price of Rado watches being sold in India is around Rs 45,000. Internationally, it is almost double at 2,000 Swiss francs. Incidentally in India, consumers of luxury goods form a small niche but their numbers are growing everyday. And with the Indian economy registering good growth, there is a huge potential for disposable income to increase further. Eventually, the Indian consumers will move towards matching the international average prices, feels the brand since that is the natural progression.

Even now, India is a growing market for Rado with a double digit growth. It is among the top 10 markets for the brand, the largest being China. According to Olivier Cosandier, Vice-President-Sales, the models that sell fastest in India are watches with gold ceramics. These are popular during weddings and for gifting. Recently, the brand opened an exclusive boutique at The Collection luxury mall in Bangalore.

The watch market in the country is estimated to be around Rs 3,000 crores, with the luxury segment accounting for one-fifth. Rado has 158 points of sales in the country, including 12 exclusive boutiques. It is looking to open five more boutiques this year in cities like Chennai, Chandigarh and Mumbai.