Rado launches Xeramo

Ritujoy Chakraborty

agencyfaqs!

NEW DELHI, September 25

Rado Watch Company Limited, part of the 3.6-billion Swiss Francs Swatch Group, launched its Xeramo range for both men and women in Mumbai on Saturday. Aimed at the fashion conscious young-at-heart on a theme of X-traordinary and X-citing, the watches are also pretty X-pensive. The Xeramo will be available in six variations and will be priced between Rs 26,200 and Rs 32,600. The company claims that the uniqueness of the Xeramo lies in the materials used - scratch-proof high-tech ceramics, sapphires and an option of specially treated leather.

Rado has had a low-profile presence in the country for over two decades now. It was in end-1997 that it appointed 48 premium watch-shops in big cities across the country to retail its products. Currently, it sells over 150 models in the price range of Rs 10,000 to an Rs 3,000,000.

Along with Rado, many of these shops also retail stable-mates from the Swatch Group, namely Omega, Longines, Tissot and of course, Swatch. The company claims to have in place 20 fully equipped service centres across 17 Indian cities.

Replying to a query about the possibility of Rado watches being manufactured in India, Ronald Streule, president, Rado Watch Company Limited remarked, "When you buy a Swiss watch, you expect a watch made in Switzerland. Rado watches will not be manufactured anywhere else except in Switzerland."

In India, Rado's communication strategy has been, selective. With the support of HTA Delhi, the company plans to target select niche publications for quarter-page four-colour ads, and later go in for pre-cinema spots in theatres. Speaking to agencyfaqs! Christian Leiggner, regional sales manager, Rado Watch Company Ltd, said that there would be a generous mix of both below-the-line and top-line campaigns.

While he refused to divulge the number of Rado's sold last year, or the ad and promotional spends, he confirmed that there would a substantial hike in the ad and promo budgets for the current fiscal to reach a target of 50 per cent growth in sales, and another 50 per cent for the year after that. Rado also hopes to increase the number of retailers to 60 by the year-end.

Leiggner added, "We at Rado attach a lot of emphasis to the PoP (point of purchase) presentation since we believe that is where the customer makes his / her choice of one product over another. For that, we have set up special windows etc in order to put Rado foremost on the mind of the discerning customer."

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