Aiming to cash in on the boom in retail spending, ceramic, glassware and crystal manufacturer La Opala R G Ltd. has tied up with major retailers, including Reliance, and is targeting a doubling of tur…
Aiming to cash in on the boom in retail spending, ceramic, glassware and crystal manufacturer La Opala R G Ltd. has tied up with major retailers, including Reliance, and is targeting a doubling of turnover to INR 1 billion by the next fiscal period. “We have recently tied up with Reliance, Lifestyle, Pentaloon, Metro, Pyramid and Shoppers Stop for catering to customers of the mall culture”, La Opala President L Sridhar told the Press Trust of India. He said the alliance with the major organised retailers were not an exclusive arrangement and the company was not looking at setting up its own stores. “With the retail business getting more organised, we can get better feedback in terms of consumer preferences and choices but I don“t feel the market is ripe for the company to open exclusive La Opala stores”, he said. He said the company was aiming to double its turnover to INR 1 billion by 2007-08 with its new plant at Uttaranchal expected to go onstream by May 2007. “The new automated plant at Sitarganj, Uttaranchal, would be fully operational by May, which would double our production capacity”, Sridhar added. La Opala has also begun an innovative product portfolio programme, in which it plans to provide designs to meet the specific requirements and tastes of consumers across India. “There is a complete shift in all aspects of consumer behaviour, now they don“t want to buy what the company or the distributors think is a nice design. We are working towards establishing a rapport with our buyers”, he said. The company sells glassware under the “La Opala“ brand and hand-cut crystalware branded as “Solitaire“ manufactured at the existing plant in Madhupur, Jharkhand. He said 80% of the crystal ware is exported whereas glassware is mostly sold domestically.