Hettich India, the Indian subsidiary of the German luxury furniture fittings provider, plans to double its investment in the country within the next five years.
The company has invested nearly ₹2,000 crore in India over the past decade.
Highlighting the importance of the Indian operations Andre Eckholt, Managing Director for India, the Middle East, Africa, and SAARC, said, “We would like to establish India as one of our R&D hubs, where we are also developing products that may be needed for the Indian market. Increasingly, we are looking at India as a gateway to the world.”
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Hettich aims to establish India as its second manufacturing hub alongside Germany.
The company currently operates manufacturing plants in Vadodara and Indore. While one plant in Indore is fully operational, a second plant is under construction and is expected to become operational by 2025, he stated.
According to Eckholt, the company has space for two additional factories on the same premises, aligning with its long-term expansion goals.
To strengthen its market presence, Hettich operates 12 company-owned and company-operated (COCO) Hettich Experience Centres across various regions in India. The company plans to expand its footprint further by introducing Hettich Exclusive Centres (Hex) in tier-1 cities, which will follow a franchise-based model.
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Over the next two years, Hettich aims to add 100 new experiential touchpoints.
With a total of 15,000-20,000 SKU’s, the furniture fittings portfolio remains the primary revenue driver for the organisation, noted Eckholt. “ While furniture fittings will continue to generate the majority of volumes and revenues, the company has also diversified into other categories such as door hardware and built-in appliances, which are expected to contribute incremental value,” he added.
The furniture fittings market in India is estimated to be worth ₹10,000–12,000 crore in 2024. In India, Hettich has a dealership network of 2000 plus active accounts. Elaborating on the dealership network, Eckholt explained, “It is not about the number of dealers. We are always interested in developing the market with our existing partners first. It’s not the target and not the vision to inflate the numbers of partners but to grow the business together.”
