We spoke with Mr. Anurag Saraf of Stone & Tile, Kolkata, as part of our series Retailer Talk with BuildingandInteriors. In Kolkata, along with a flourishing Italian marble and granite business, he is one of the most prominent Villeroy & Boch sanitaryware dealers.
The Indian market has become more brand-conscious and discerning in the last five years. In the post-pandemic market, this is much more obvious. People are increasingly opting for high-quality brands for their homes. This movement has also been observed in the market for bathrooms and sanitary fixtures.
In this conversation, Mr. Anurag Saraf gives unique insights into how his retailing firm has developed in the post-pandemic environment. He also discusses changing market scenarios, bathrooms of the future, and more.
Mr. Anurag Saraf, Stone & Tile, Sanitaryware Dealers in Kolkata
About the business and the bathroom fixtures store
Stone & Tile is a start-up company by three brothers. Our key business is of imported marble along with which we have sanitary ware and tiles.
We have three different stockyards for all our imported marbles. We import marble from all over the world including Italy, Spain, Turkey, Greece, and Australia. Then, we process it in Kasindra, Ahmedabad where we have a factory. Post-processing, we sell it in the Kolkata market where our store is located.
Since we are based in Kolkata, we receive business mostly from the Eastern parts of India. Since we’ve started off, we have done all the big projects in Kolkata, including hotels like JW Marriott, Novotel, Westin, etc. Still, a high percentage of the sales we receive on a monthly basis are project sales.
We are the exclusive dealer and distributor of Villeroy & Boch sanitaryware in Kolkata for which we have a separate showroom in the ground plus one format where all the products are displayed.
Stone & Tile: Business timeline
Stone & Tile, founded in 2001, is one of the most prestigious importers of Italian marbles and granites. By 2004, it had become a successful marble company in the eastern parts of India. Mr. Ritesh Agarwal and Mr. Anurag Saraf started it, and Mr. Mukesh Agarwal followed suit.
By 2008, we had established ourselves as the top supplier of marbles and granite to the most prestigious entrepreneurs in Kolkata, Eastern India, and Mumbai.
In the Imported Marble section, we had grown by a huge margin by 2010. We have one of Kolkata’s largest imported marble stockyards, a separate granite stockyard, and a Stone & Tiles showroom.
Typical clientele
Since we are dealers for high-end marble and sanitaryware in Kolkata, most of our sales are retail sales as per the current market scenario. So, most of our clients want high-end brands for their projects. These clients are either architects or interior designers based in Kolkata or Mumbai. They visit us during the initial stages of the project. This is because the work starts with marble and once they finalize it, next in line is sanitary ware.
Sanitary ware is something that needs to be selected at the beginning stage. Thus, both the businesses actually co-exist and support one another. The high-income group people who can afford imported marble most likely prefer the premium solutions by Villeroy & Boch only. In this manner, both the businesses keep complementing each other.
Our retail philosophy for bathroom fixtures, marble, and tiles
Imported marble or Italian marble is a high-end product, which is very expensive as well. People who are making high-end houses will go for Italian marble. But there are some clients who have their reservations.
For clients who don’t want to use marble, we have our tile segment along with Villeroy & Boch sanitary ware segment. So basically, we are a one-stop-shop for bathrooms. You can go for marble, and then take sanitary ware or if you don’t want to use marble in the bathroom, take tiles and then take sanitary ware.
Having a well-established business in Kolkata, it wasn’t as difficult for us to expand into the sanitaryware segment as dealers. That is the reason we went for the best in business – Villeroy & Boch. Another reason we zeroed down to V&B was that it matches the premiumness of our Italian marble business.
In addition, people are aware that Villeroy & Boch is a top-notch brand in this segment. I believe that perhaps most of our customers have done some market research throughout the year and they’ve realised that our value proposition is far superior to what they’ll find elsewhere.
It’s been a slow and steady climb, and I’m thrilled with how we’ve been able to grow our consumer base.
How do sanitaryware dealers the fancy of architects and designers in Kolkata?
As far as Villeroy & Boch is concerned, the brand needs no introduction in the market. Therefore, we don’t need to follow the architects to use its products in their projects. The brand itself is synonymous with superior quality and people are aware of it.
So, whoever wants Villeroy & Boch comes to us looking for it. Moreover, after being present in this city for more than 20 years, most interior designers and architects know us well here.
Moreover, premium brand distributors must concentrate their efforts on the specifier community. The most crucial factor for retailers is flexibility in operations and the trust factor between brands and retailers.
Changes in the customer perspective in Kolkata
West Bengal in itself may be a conservative market, but Kolkata is going all out in terms of trends and design concepts. The ever-evolving market dynamics have brought in a change in customer behaviour. Now, people are looking to build a house with the best solutions available in the market. They’ve started to value a good house. This is due to the fact that people are spending more time at home and feel compelled to improve their living spaces. Bathrooms are frequently the first priority in such renovations. People desire to renovate and improve everything, from bathroom solutions to flooring.
This is a big change and it’s not because people did not have money earlier but because they did not have the mindset to spend the money on home building and designing. A lot has changed since the pandemic hit people’s lives.
Top 3 success factors for luxury bathroom & sanitaryware retailers
- Good product ranges.
- Good service to the customers.
- A good relationship with all the architects, interior designers, and other project specifiers.
A sanitaryware retailer’s information sources to keep up with the market
As far as marble is concerned, it is something that is handpicked. Whatever we are sourcing is totally handpicked by us for which we have to go to the particular country to buy our products. So, travelling exposes us to the latest concepts and products in the industry.
Before the pandemic, we used to travel every month to purchase the stone and import it to India. With new launches, we upgrade the bathroom fixtures, marble, and tiles in our showroom. In addition, we do Social Media Marketing through Instagram and Facebook as well.
Moreover, we visit fairs like Acetech in India and Marmomac every year in Verona, Italy. We used to go to China for different fairs as well.
We also participate in the local fair organized by the Architect Association of Kolkata every year. This gives us a taste of the market, the latest trends, and the current customer preference.
Role of display in a bathroom fixtures showroom
For the retail segment, the display is one of the most important things. I cannot sell a product if I don’t have a proper display. The Kolkata market is such that they want to have the look and feel of the products before making a purchase.
Personalization and associated services are becoming increasingly crucial to our demanding Indian customers. Customers prefer solutions that are tailored to their specific requirements rather than generic solutions. In these cases, face-to-face interaction is critical for a ‘participative’ sales process.
For us, the customers’ brand experience is our top priority. Therefore, we keep updating our store to have an exciting store design and atmosphere. We consistently showcase the best of the products and regularly update the displays.
In addition, if somebody is coming in for marbles, we take them to our stockyards which are around 80,000 square feet of an area dedicated for marble display.
Our experience as exclusive Villeroy and Boch sanitaryware dealers in Kolkata
Being exclusive Villeroy & Boch sanitaryware dealers in Kolkata is adding value to our name and enhancing our brand value as well.
Considering that Villeroy & Boch is a premium bathroom solutions brand with an over 250-year history, the majority of our clients are already familiar with it.
Our field of work is really taxing. The product portfolio is very diverse. Providing on-time, quick, and simple services become even more important. 95% of brands fail in this area. The best aspect of being Villeroy & Boch sanitaryware dealers in Kolkata is that the brand has highly favourable market policies.
Bathrooms of the future
There has been a change in market dynamics in the last one and half years. People are looking for more colour in their bathrooms these days. Two years back, people were looking for only whites but now, a shift in customer preference is observed.
Moreover, the future is going to become more high-tech now. In addition to aesthetics, automation is getting people’s attention.
To get in touch with Mr. Anurag Saraf, contact on the following details:
E-mail: shreebalajimarble@gmail.com
Phone: +91 9830085550
