Juergen Wolf: Hafele’s Robust Business Network Helped Us Succeed With The Appliances Product Line

Hafele India Pvt.Ltd. has had a dream-run with it’s appliances range. In a candid discussion with buildingandinteriors.com, Juergen Wolf, Managing Director, Hafele India Pvt.Ltd. shares some interesting insights into this hitherto uncharted territories.

B&I: How has Hafele India’s growth been with the addition of appliances in it’s product line?

JW: We have doubled our revenue and market presence in the past two years. This is the key indicator that we are on a right path. Our recent launches and marketing campaigns in the past have given great mileage to achieve this growth rate.

B&I: What are the challenges you see in selling appliances (a category where consumer involvement is high), given that most of Hafele’s focus has been on B2B audience?

JW: While Hafele as a world-wide group essentially follows a B2B sales format, with India we have always approached things differently. Since the market in India is highly trade-driven, we have understood the relevance of having an extensive retail base along with our traditional B2B channels. Owing to this, today Hafele India has over 80 exclusive Franchise partners and more than 350 hardware dealers and distributors across the country. Our reach to the end customer is focused through these retail formats and this has formed the basis of our extensive penetration in the remote areas of the country.

Hafele also owns 7 flagship Design Showrooms strategically located in all the major metros of the country. These showrooms present themselves as one-stop-shops for all home interiors and improvement needs. When a customer walks into our showrooms they are assured complete services from receiving in-depth technical advice to kitchen designing services from our team of technical experts.

Our deep foot-prints in the kitchen and retail industry have given us a chance to weave in our appliances for today’s modern kitchen. Our endeavor is to provide the best and the latest technology to the market that can add value and functionality to the day-to-day lives of our dear and esteemed customers. We have a full solution from refrigeration to laundry care appliances that takes care of day to day cooking and cleaning requirements of an Indian household.

B&I: How many dealers and distributors do you have for appliances? What are growth plans over the next 2-3 years?

JW: We have about 1000 dealers across India that includes kitchen manufacturers and focused appliances dealers. Our endeavor would be to strengthen the existing network with the suitable product mix that can complement the different kitchen designs sold across the country.

B&I: What are the growth markets/regions you will have special focus on, in the short term?

JW: India is a diverse market and every region offers immense growth opportunity. We will endevour to grow across the length and breadth of the country in the years to come.

B&I: What is your strategy to grow your market share in the appliances business?

JW: We offer a diverse range of appliances from an approachable premium to the luxury segment. Also the customers get a full blown range of appliances to choose from. We complete all aspect of kitchen appliances with our modern cooker hoods, built-in hobs, refrigerators, built in ovens and microwaves, dishwashers, and laundry care products. We carry an exceptional product range unparalleled to any other appliances in India.

B&I: Can you throw some light on the after sales service?

JW: Hafele offers one of the best after sales services for it’s appliances in India. We are just a call away from the customer to take care of their appliances service / installation / demo requirements. We have a robust system that tracks the appliances from point of sale. We also have an efficient network of trained and certified service team across the country to attend to customer calls within the stipulated service timelines

B&I: Any new category you are looking in the appliances category?

JW: You will witness some of the most exciting line of products added to our product range in the future. We would like to contribute to the major functional categories in home appliances segment from kitchen to laundry care range.

B&I: What is your message to the trade audience (specifiers included) for your appliances range?

JW: Design and Quality backed by efficient service and state of the art retail experience is our underlying brand philosophy. Hafele Appliances reinstates the 93 year old Heritage of brand Hafele. The built-in and freestanding appliances are thoughtfully designed to cater to the diverse Indian cooking needs. Being in kitchen fraternity since past 9 decades, Hafele understands the importance of design integrity and functional values essential for a well-designed and efficient kitchen. We provide a full blown kitchen appliances range as a complete package for a modern and functional kitchen. We pledge to enhance the experience of our customers for all the touch points essential to the kitchen and their well-being!

For more information, visit www.hafeleindia.com, Email: Juergen.Wolf@hafeleindia.com