A household brand

Mr Chandru Kalro, Executive VP (marketing), TTK Prestige, talks about the establishment and success of the company in an interview to the Retailer

Retailer: How did TTK Prestige rise up to its present status?

Mr Chandru Kalro (CK): The origin of the TTK Prestige goes back to the visionary ideas of Mr TT Krishnamachari in 1928. The company saw pressure-cooking as the future way of cooking and was determined to help the Indian woman cook smarter and better. With this foresight, TTK Prestige pioneered pressure cookers in India. Going by the road of success, TTK Prestige has almost conquered the entire kitchen space and has made itself the only truly ‘total kitchen solution company’ in India.

Retailer: What are the various products and services that you offer?

CK: The product range includes pressure cookers, prestige deluxe, non-stick pressure handis and kadais, nakshatra range, non-stick cookware, omega die cast cookware, gas stoves, mixer grinders, electric rice cookers, fuzzy logic rice cooker, microwaves, prestige electric kettles, sandwich and pop-up toasters, chimneys and hobs. This year will see the brand focus on consolidation more than on entering newer categories.

Retailer: How many stores are you operating presently? How many outlets are you planning to launch in near future?

CK: The company forayed into the retail segment with its exclusive chain of retail showrooms named ‘Prestige Smart Kitchens’. The company has presently 189 outlets spread across 110 towns in India. As such, the company is the largest retailer of the country in the kitchen appliances sector.

Retailer: What is the manufacturing strength of the company?

CK: We believe that we are the best in the business for the very fact that our own units manufacture the products and ensure world-class quality. Presently, we have six manufacturing units in Hosur, Bangalore and Coimbatore. Yet, another manufacturing unit has been established in Uttaranchal at a cost of Rs 15 crore to cater to the northern markets. TTK Prestige is the first kitchenware company in India to receive the ISO 9001 certification for manufacturing, marketing and designing its products.

Retailer: What are the details of kitchen designing service that TTK Prestige offers?

CK: The concept of designing kitchen is an integral part of today’s lifestyle. Prestige, pioneer in bringing modern cooking style to Indian housewives, pioneered also in inducting the ‘modular kitchen’ concept for its consumers. With international design and quality, the concept retains Indian cooking gharana and that is the USP of TTK Prestige’s modular kitchen. Designing and implementing charges for modular kitchens range between Rs 1.2 to 3 lakh and could even be more, depending on specific consumer requirements and tastes.

Retailer: What are your future plans?

CK: Apart from expanding the existing chain of PSKs, the company also plans to launch two new formats of stores under the TTK brand name. One such format will be launched shortly to showcase and sell high-end modular kitchens. In terms of new product introductions, the company is well on its way to consolidating itself in newer categories such as microwave ovens, OTGs, chimneys and hobs.