Luxor Group, which has been in the business of writing instruments for about five decades now, has forayed into the market for surface cleaning and protection with the launch of Luxor Nano Clean. The company claims the new range of products not only cleans but also protects the surface it is meant to be used on. These products are also eco-friendly, they are free of detergents and chemicals and are based on Nano technology. With the launch, Luxor Group is the first company to bring Nano technology into the Indian markets, which is a widely accepted technology globally.
“Luxor Nano Clean 2 in 1 is easy to use and protects the given surface from dust, dirt, stains for a long period and thereby reduces cleaning time, effort and cost,” says D K Jain, chairman and president, Luxor Group. Since the awareness for surface protection is low and given that no such product is available in the Indian market currently, this product will give the company the first mover advantage, he adds. “We are trying to create a new segment which did not exist at all,” says Jain.
The investment undertaken for this project is around Rs 50 crore and the company expects sales of Rs 50 crore for the new brand in its very first year. In the next five years, the company is projecting a turnover of Rs 500 crore. Currently, the Luxor Group has brands like Luxor Parker, Pilot, Waterman and Planet Happy under its belt.
Nine variants of Luxor Nano Clean are already available across many cities in the country. The company claims the initial response to it has been positive. With more and more women working there is the need for a contemporary product for cleaning surfaces at home, says the company. Luxor is looking to reach 50,000 retail outlets by 2013. The cleaners are available at two price points — Rs 100 and Rs 150 a bottle.
The company has lined up a series of above-the-line and below-the-line activities as part of its launch plan. Veteran Hindi film actor Amitabh Bachchan has been roped in as the brand ambassador for the new product. A television commercial with him in the lead will be launched shortly. The total marketing budget is estimated at Rs 15 crore. (Incidentally, Amitabh Bachchan already has a relationship with Luxor — he is face of Parker pens.)
With the technology is new, Luxor is entering a well-established category. Liquid cleaners are well accepted in urban India. Estimated put the cleaning solutions market in India at Rs 2,000 crore and is growing at 20 per cent annually. It is categorised into three broad segments — toilet cleaners, floor cleaners and special surface cleaners. Luxor will have to contend with players like Hindustan Unilever (Domex, Cif), Dabur (Dazzl) and Reckitt Benckiser in the segment. While none of them promise surface protection, the key selling proposition here seems to be disinfection. Product bundling and product demonstrations in malls and across modern trade are some of the ways brands in this category have build traction.