Nobilia’s eight kitchen store has come up in India, in the NCR region of Gurugram. The outlet displays four kitchens in the premium category, alongside bath-ware, tiles and faucets. Nobilia operates in India in partnership with H&R Johnson, the tiles and bathroom fittings major. As the eight Nobilia store comes up, H&R Johnson is on track to set up five more in the current year.
The Gurugram outlet was inaugurated by Nobilia’s international Sales Manager Michael Behr and H&R Johnson’s president for bathroom and kitchen business Pankaj Sharma.
The newly opened outlet is operated by Tikriwal Trading Company, which is also a dealer for Johnson tiles. The store will market Nobilia’s kitchens, which are fitted with Hettich and Blum hardware, along with Asko built-in appliances. Customers will be supported with H&R Johnson’s centralised design services, besides the design and installation support that is offered at the retail level.
According to Behr, who has been visiting India for several years, the market for premium kitchens is growing. “We are encouraged by the prospects for housing and premium living in India. We are also aware that architects and designers are the key influencers for kitchens in this category. Nobilia, which is Europe’s largest kitchen manufacturer, is hoping to capture the mindshare of Indian customers who are looking for high quality and German perfection. We have a long-term vision for India and are working to develop best practices that will help the industry grow sustainably.”
Behr adds that Nobilia has been at the forefront of the standardisation of kitchens in Germany. “We encouraged other German manufacturers to develop common standards in the interest of consumers as well as the overall growth of the industry. Standardisation of sizes enabled the services sector to develop design software that would talk to machines across the board. This industry-wide collaboration brought significant efficiencies of scale and made the German industry a global leader.”
H&R Johnson has been marketing Nobilia kitchens in India since 2008, besides its own Johnson kitchen brand. However, it is only recently that it has started focusing on Nobilia, with the objective of expanding the dealer network and increasing sales for the German brand.
The Johnson brand has great synergies with Nobilia, says Sharma. “Both brands are leaders in their respective areas. Both enjoy deep customer loyalty, have wide dealer networks, and possess a good understanding of the home improvement market. This makes us natural partners.”
Sharma elaborates that the Nobilia brand has good recall among Indian customers. “With Nobilia we aim to bring greater awareness about modular kitchens in India and the technology that goes into their making. Together we hope to increase the size of the industry in the interest of all stakeholders.”
Nobilia was founded in Germany in 1945 and today manufactures 3,800 kitchens daily. Its network in India is set for steady expansion, as two more outlets are scheduled to launch in Punjab in the next couple of months. H&R Johnson aims to have a total of 13 Nobilia outlets operational in the current year.
