The 100-year-old German kitchen maker Nolte is expanding presence in India. It has announced that it will take its store count from 11 to 30 by next year. The company will also set up a competence centre and flagship store in Mumbai shortly. Besides, Nolte will work closely with real estate developers to help them standardise their processes and make modular kitchens a default feature in new residential projects.
Currently the Nolte Küchen brand is present in 11 Indian cities through strategic channel partners, who deal directly with Nolte FZE, the German company’s distribution office in Dubai. The company has earmarked an initial investment of $2 million (nearly Rs 17 crore) for the pan-India expansion, and aims to make kitchen and interior solutions accessible to all Indian households and realtors, informs Nolte FZE managing director Selva Kumar Rajulu.
“What makes Nolte Küchen a global leader in the kitchen and interior solution space is the unparalleled high-quality standards of our Made in Germany products, which prioritise users’ preferences and the kitchen’s functionalities. We ship 1,500 kitchens daily. Now we are on a mission to revamp the kitchen interior scenario in India. Our nationwide expansion includes launching numerous project and retail kitchens, revitalising our showrooms with unique Nolte designs, and rolling out approximately 30 Nolte stores by 2025.”
Nolte has showrooms in New Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Jaipur, Cochin, Pune, Indore, Surat, Guwahati, Raipur, and Baroda. Following the expansion, it will have new footprints in Chennai, Ludhiana, Goa, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Lucknow, and Andhra Pradesh within the next six months.
Explaining the criteria for selecting cities for expansion, Rajulu says, “Several factors were considered when deciding on these cities. Primarily we have divided the cities into tier 1, tier 2, and tier 3 based on their per capita income, buying patterns, urbanisation, and potential economic growth. Currently, we are focusing on tier 1 and tier 2 cities.”
Rajulu informs that Nolte Group offers four sub-brands to address various segments, starting with Nolte NEO for premium, Nolte Kitchen for high-end, and Nolte Eco and Express Kitchen for the mid segments.
“Over the years we have developed an understanding of the versatile and specific requirements of Indian consumers. At Nolte, we have a huge portfolio of designs, finishes, and ranges that can cater to these requirements. So, we are confident that we can provide the right products to our design partners and their customers.”
To support its expansion in India, Nolte is coming up with a competence centre in Mumbai, which will also host the brand’s flagship store. According to Rajulu, through the competence centre the company will provide training to its channel partners and team members, besides enabling interaction with designers, developers, and architects.
“We will work closely with interior designers, architectural institutes, and academics to develop the competencies of the design teams. The competence centre will also be the main office for Nolte’s sales and marketing teams for projects and retail.”
Since design is an important component of the kitchen value proposition, Nolte aims to raise awareness about how consumers use kitchens, as well as the design skills of design professionals.
“We will ensure that every designer working in our showrooms is fully qualified and certified so that they have the knowledge and tools to provide service and the best solutions for our end customers in retail and projects. Furthermore, we will be continuously undertaking training so that our designers are updated about the latest product developments at Nolte.”
Acknowledging that the builder segment is a key aspect of the kitchen business, Rajulu aims to transform how kitchens are specified and designed for projects. “Our vision is to work with the major developers in the country to standardise this process and provide competitively priced pre-fitted modular kitchens as a default for their projects. With our approach, we aim to add value for the end customer, and we expect this process to increase the kitchen market value in India substantially.”
Rajulu confirms that the German kitchen maker Nolte has big plans for India, and it aims to go beyond being an imported brand. “As we enter the promising kitchen business and explore the growing opportunities in the market, we are considering establishing a warehousing operation in India. This would allow us to stock our products and simplify our distribution. Within the next 7-10 years we envision diversifying our capabilities by exploring manufacturing options. This could involve partial or full-scale production, depending on various factors. However, we must remain dedicated to upholding the exceptional quality that our brand is known for, to ensure that our customers receive only the best.”
