Big screen ambitions

ZOOMING IN

Korean consumer electronics giant LG is making sure that no niche is untapped. It has just launched a new division to sell large-sized TVs and other 'display' products and it's already talking about tripling sales by 2005.

For the uninitiated, display products are large TVs and the like which used in offices and other large space and usually hung on the wall like a picture.

The range of new display products include plasma TVs, rear projection TVs and the like. LG will be setting up a chain of stores to promote its range of high end audio visual equipment called Xcanvas Studios.

The entire range will be imported from the Korean parent in a completely built form. In order to reach its target, LG India has also entered into a alliance with high end electronics players Onkyo and B&W which will provide the sounds systems. Says K R Kim, managing director, LG Electronics India, "India's fast growing economy promises a huge potential for such products. New display products are style statements which will create a shift in the trend of TVs being bought by Indian households today".

Currently though, high end electronic equipment accounts for a negligible share of the total consumer electronics market. Prasanna Raghavan, product group head at LG Electronics claims that the company will triple sales in the coming year from the current Rs 40 crore to Rs 150 crore through various marketing initiatives.

One of which is roping in the Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces to provide interactive TV solutions to its guests where LG will provide the hardware for the in-room infotainment solutions.

But with prices range from Rs 40,000 upwards right upto Rs four lakh depending on the size of the displays and the accompanying sound equipment, it remains to be seen if the target will be met.

Grapes and more

Two years back, three grape growers in the Nashik district in Maharashtra got together and started Sankalp Winery. The three "" Prahlad Khadangle, Sadashiv Nathe and Kishore Holkar "" were no longer content with supplying grapes to wineries like Chateau Indage and Soma Samant Wines which sells the Sula brand. So, they decided to use their grape growing experience and extend it to selling their own wine.

Today, the trio is testing their brand Vinsura (sura means wine in Sanskrit and the vineyard is in Vinchur) in various markets across the country, though an official launch is still to take place.

Says wine maker M P Sharma who joined the team after a four year stint with Sula, "We are taking a different approach and trying to reach focus groups in order to educate them about our wines." The first crush took place in 2002 and the company tested the Nashik and Mumbai markets in 2003.

Clearly the company saw enough opportunity to branch out on its own. Wine consumption in India is estimated to have gone up 15 per cent in the last year compared to the previous year. But the company is choosing to be cautious and is still talking to distributors. It has however, recently, entered the Bangalore, Delhi, Chandigarh and Daman markets.

The company has launched four varieties "" two white wines, one red and one rose. And prices range from Rs 350 to Rs 415 excluding sales tax. The vineyard is spread across 65 acres growing grape varieties like cabernet sauvignon, zinfandel, syrah, sauvignon blanc, chenin blanc and symphony.

A bigger menucard

Tony Batra is a third generation restaurateur with big ambitions. The family runs the 26-year-old New Yorker which is a landmark in Mumbai. Now, Batra is looking at franchise operations in different locations around the country. The first new restaurant opened recently in Chennai and several more outside Mumbai are on the cards.

The New Yorker, which is a fully vegetarian restaurant, was started in Mumbai in 1978 and has already expanded to Pune, Hyderabad and now Chennai. In the next four months Kolkata, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Jaipur will have a New Yorker outlet. The formula for success will be the same "" brand it, standardise it and customise it a bit.

Batra makes sure that he knows the city, before he ventures into opening an outlet. The food in New Yorker, Hyderabad will be a bit more spicy and price in Poona will a bit cheaper. Batra explains, "The overall decor is more or less same, but if you notice, the outlet in Chennai will be more spacious while those in Mumbai will be less spacious."

The Jain community is particularly fond of the chain so Batra offers plenty of options without garlic, onions and potatoes. "We can offer Mexican, Italian and Lebanese food without these vegetables. We prepare them in separate utensils so that the Jain patrons feel totally comfortable eating at the New Yorker," he says.

Batra does not invest in his franchisee outlets. He offers the brand name, recipes and service manual. Of course his long experience come with the package deal. "Customers can send their views or complaints to my e-mail address and I will personally call and take the feedback. After all I am in the service business."

The franchisee invests close to Rs 20 lakh in the outlet. The Chennai outlet, has been started by three foodies who come from diverse backgrounds like manufacturing and finance.

Ajay Lunawath, Adit Bafna, Satish Kumbhat chipped in their savings to open the New Yorker in Chennai and they are hoping that high growth is on the menucard.