For Hansgrohe, India is the fastest-growing market and part of the top 10 markets globally. Known for its high-quality faucets and showers, Hansgrohe operates in 78 Indian cities with 170 stores. By the end of the year, Hansgrohe plans to have a presence in close to 100 cities, including tier II and tier III cities.
With over 26 years of diverse experience, Gaurav Malhotra has served as the Managing Director of Hansgrohe India since his appointment in 2017. This foundational experience was backed by a significant tenure at General Electric’s Advanced Materials Group (GE Plastics).
Malhotra’s vision, combined with a strategic focus on rapid growth and a strong commercial acumen, has been pivotal in aligning teams across the business to achieve common goals, solidifying Hansgrohe’s position as a leader in the premium and luxury bathroom fittings industry.
Tell us about the growth story of Hansgrohe in India.
Our growth story has been remarkable, as we have observed substantial growth in the Indian market since we became a full subsidiary in 2012. For most part of the first five years, we focused on the basics of establishing an initial trade footprint and ensuring engagement with the key stakeholders, trade partners, and architects/interior designers. In line with the luxury positioning, we were quite niche. In the next five years, we strengthened our brand visibility and retail presence across the top 18 cities, increasing engagement with architects and designers. This strategic approach resulted in rapid growth, achieving a six-year CAGR of >40% in net sales.
This enabled us to go for a strategic pivot and plan the next level of scale. Not only did this need understanding a different set of consumer needs, but it also meant creating a deeper trade and architect engagement effort. The key was to understand the essentials of consumer needs and then create capabilities to match the same in terms of solutions. Hansgrohe India was made a strategic focus country within this period.
We realised that the brand was aspirational to a larger consumer segment. But from being aspirational to actually being consumed involves meeting a number of consumer needs, which themselves were very dynamic. From aesthetical requirements to functional needs to basic value-driven decisions was a journey that involved investments in creating smaller trade formats, larger India-specific product portfolios, brand investments to create larger visibility, and cost structure evaluations to get better opening price points and ensure more participation from the trade channel.
All of this led to the opening of the assembly footprint in India, a proud moment for us. This created a whole new set of capabilities and also is in alignment with the ‘Make in India’ mission. We believe these are just the first steps in our larger strategic pivot, and we look forward to many more milestones.
Which is your fast-selling product range in the Indian market?
Rainfinity showers are one of our top-selling product ranges, providing an unparalleled showering experience. Its microfine droplets, created by the innovative PowderRain spray technology, cocoon your body and provide sensuous showering pleasure. The concave spray disc ensures waterfalls at the right angle, drenching the entire body. The Rainfinity showers, including overhead, hand, and side showers, featuring dual surface finishes, add a touch of modern design to your bathroom. The intuitive select controls and elegant finishes ensure a high level of functionality and aesthetic appeal. The award-winning shower range has received numerous recognitions, such as the iF Gold Design Award and the Red Dot: Best of the Best, for excellent workmanship, consistent proportions, and exquisite quality.
What, according to you, is the USP of Hansgrohe?
One hundred and twenty-two years of innovation, timeless design, quality, and responsibility – that is what Hansgrohe stands for. What sets us apart is the centre of our focus – the person, be it the customer, the business partner, or the employee. With timeless and innovative premium products, we support a sustainable lifestyle and transform daily water routines into extraordinary experiences.
Hansgrohe creates product solutions for bathrooms and kitchens that enrich everyday life with more design, comfort, and enjoyment. In the 1980s, we invented the first water-saving shower, and we continue to improve our flow rates and efficiency.
With our new brand claim ‘Life is waterful’ we are taking on an even more positive approach to highlighting the importance of saving water in our daily lives.
Tell us about Hansgrohe’s contribution to India’s hospitality industry.
In the business of the hospitality industry, sound advice and reliability are particularly important to our customers. These customers are a mix of hotel owners, planners, architects, and interior designers who prioritise exceptional guest experiences and sustainable solutions. They seek excellent design, outstanding quality, and products that can be adapted. The Hansgrohe Group has been a project partner to multiple hotel brands worldwide, understanding their needs and offering them products that meet their requirements.
The bed and bathroom are two central criteria to which a hotel guest attaches particular importance. Hansgrohe taps and showers round off the sensational facilities of top projects around the globe. Our products bring together design, functionality, and comfort, making them ideally suited for first-time user hotel guests.
For hotel project developers and owners, the economical consumption of water and energy is another decisive factor. Hansgrohe has been on the path of green transformation since 1987, when we launched the first eco-friendly hand shower, which made 50% water savings possible during showering. Our EcoSmat & CoolStart products help our project partners achieve eco-friendliness.
What are your future plans for the industry?
With >90% of our revenue derived from the bathroom category, we are intensifying our strategies towards tier II & III and B2C segments. With a stronger approach to luxury homes and hotels, we are leveraging the wave of premiumization in India. With the launch of assembly operations in India, we plan to cater to a wider audience by making our products available at lower price points. Through our retail footprint expansion efforts via trade and distribution channels, we envision approximately 500 PoS in multiple formats across more than 200 locations over the next few years.
