Fitted to furnish
Fitted to furnish

Largest furniture manufacturer and a leading name in leather upholstery, Natuzzi, from Italy is all set to enter the Indian market. Nitin Bahl, Country Manager, Natuzzi Group talks about the brand and its entry into India.  

Neha Malhotra(NM): Can you brief us about the Natuzzi Group and its entry into India?
Nitin Bahl (NB):
We are the world’s largest manufacturer of leather furniture and the only ones in this category to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). We are spread across 123 countries through various retail formats predominantly flagship stores, mono brand stores and galleries. 

We are entering India with two brands, Natuzzi and Italsofa. Natuzzi, a premium brand in Europe, is the signature brand that offers a wide range of high-end products with premium quality in terms of creativity, design, choice of materials and finish. Italsofa is a young living brand in the upholstery market targeted at young and modern consumers. 

NM: What are the offerings that customers can look forward to when they walk into a Natuzzi store?
NB:
At Natuzzi, we are offering a ‘complete look’ concept to our consumers. We have sofa sets, centre tables, coffee tables, lamps and rugs all put together. At Italsofa, being a comparatively younger brand, we are looking for launching accessories as well. Also, high-end fabrics will be available at both the stores.  

NM: Which retail locations are you looking at for expansion?
NB:
We are looking for opening two flagship stores, one in Delhi and other in Mumbai. For Natuzzi, we would be looking at setting up the stores in metros while for Italsofa we will be looking at metros along with Tier I cities. This is how we plan to penetrate into India from the retail point of view. 

NM: Research and Development are key factors in the leather market. What initiatives have you taken in this aspect?
NB:
Research and Development are the key focus areas and we make huge investments to keep this edge. We have a very large R&D centre in Italy and we are continuously innovating this space. We are not working on just natural leather but also working with protective leather which has certain high graded traits. Our design centre is also one of the best in the industry.  

NM: How do you manufacture these products? Where does Natuzzi have its manufacturing facilities? Do you plan to begin sourcing from India itself in the near future?
NB:
We have a completely integrated manufacturing facility. We have two tanneries in Northern Italy so the entire leather processing is done by us. Styling, designing, and quality control are all in-house. We use high-end technology similar to the one used in the automotive industry for sofa building process. We do not have any plans in the near future to set up a manufacturing facility in India. Natuzzi as a brand is completely manufactured in Italy. For Italsofa, we have a manufacturing plant in China.  

NM: What are the future plans for expansion in India?
NB:
For India, we are looking at opening 70 stores in the next three years.
 

Stay on top – Get the daily news from Indian Retailer in your inbox
Also Worth Reading