In India, people especially women, spend around 13.2 hours a week on an average in the kitchen. Food and matters related to food are central and often revered for an Indian household. So it is natural that good kitchenware is quintessential and often a prized possession for the lady of the house. The modern Indian kitchen has long moved on from earthen cookware and now relies on modern cookware that ranges from non-electric to electric. They need kitchenware that can keep pace with their fast forward life, and add value to their kitchen collection.
Since 1928, TTK Prestige has been catering to the changing whims and fancies of the Indian kitchen. The TTK Group was founded in 1928 as an indenting agency by Mr T.T. Krishnamachari who pioneered organized distribution in India. Today it spans 30 product categories with 7 group companies and a turnover that cross 30 Billion rupees. The group company products reach every continent of the world. TTK Prestige Ltd. is the flagship company of the group.
The People’s Leader
In 1993, Chandru Kalro joined TTK as a Product Manager. In 2015, he took over as Managing Director, and today manages the largest and most profitable company in the Kitchen appliances category. An engineer by academic qualification, Mr. Kalro has played a key role in changing the course of the company from being a pressure cooker company to making Prestige India’s number one kitchenware brand.
In a career spanning over three decades, he has been a part of BPL Limited for a brief stint of seven years. His move to TTK saw him climbing up the ladder quickly to General Manager Marketing in two and a half years. He has since played a key role in several strategic initiatives with a strong focus on innovation, superior customer service, and long term planning.
A Legacy that kept Re-inventing Itself
TTK Prestige is India’s leading kitchen appliances brand with a 64-year-old legacy of continuous innovation. It is the first company in India to offer a range of innovative and unique products both in the electric and non-electric category thus offering end to end solutions. It has nourished and developed three brands over a period of time namely – Prestige, Manttra and Prestige Xclusive. These brands have struck all the right chords with the Indian customer and the products range from pressure cookers to gas Stoves, Induction cook-tops, Mixer Grinders, Air Fryers, Roti makers, to hob tops and many more. TTK Prestige retails its products via Prestige Xclusive stores and enjoys a strong distribution network of over 550 stores across India.
Seeking and Capturing Opportunities in the Market
With strong economic growth and increasing employment opportunities in India, the country’s kitchen appliances market is witnessing continuous growth. The expanding working class, especially working women; increasing nuclear families coupled with busy lifestyles are among the major factors boosting the demand for kitchen appliances in India. According to reports, the kitchen appliances market in India is set to grow at 25% CAGR. We have recognized these changing market dynamics early and have we have consistently launched new products to suit the ever-changing needs of the Indian homemaker.
Cashing in on the market trends, Chandru Kalro played a key role in several strategic initiatives that were taken to make TTK Prestige become an aspiring company. The most important being TTK Prestige’s foray into retail by setting up a retail chain across the country. This provides a unique competitive edge that has made the company India’s number one Kitchen appliance company. The other major initiative was to strategically transform the company from being a manufacturing-focused company to a marketing-focused company and therefore create core competencies in sourcing. Consequently, the company today is transforming itself from being a Kitchen appliance company to becoming India’s largest kitchen appliances.
Charting New Path
Under Chandru’s innovative leadership, TTK Prestige has forayed into a new line of business in the home cleaning space, called ‘Prestige Clean / Home’. It transforms the way India cleans and will emerge as the go-to and preferred cleaning partner for the Indian homemaker. It comprises of electric and non-electric range of innovative floor, air and water care products that offer convenience and ease of use. The electric range includes Electric Mops, Vacuum Cleaner, Floor Polishers, Steam Cleaners and Air purifiers. Whilst the non-electric portfolio consists of Stick Mops, Twister Mop, Squeeze Mop, Magic Mops, Spray Mops, Ladders & Flip Bins, Water Purifier, Bottles & Flasks, Small Cleaning Tools etc.
In April 2016, TTK Prestige acquired UK based Horwood Homewares, one of the largest tableware & cookware suppliers in the UK. It supplies over 2,000 table and cookware products across key European markets. The acquisition was a part of TTK Group’s strategy to strengthen its globalization strategy. The Company aims to be more efficient and add a new competitive edge through an enhanced customer focus. Chandru adds, “Its all about customer delight and not just customer satisfaction.”
Chandru Kalro: Leading Change to Achieve Growth
