Parryware Roca to open 50 more showrooms

Parryware Roca Private Limited, a 50:50 joint venture between the Murugappa Group's EID Parry and Spain-based Roca, a global leader in sanitaryware, plans to add 50 Roca showrooms across the country this year. The company currently has 16 showrooms.

Of the new stores planned, four will be opened in Kerala, two in Kolkata and one each in Mumbai, Bangalore, Coimbatore, Chennai, Punjab and Pune.

Addressing mediapersons here on the occasion of launching the company's first Roca showroom in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday, A Vellayan, chairman of Parryware Roca, said the company proposed to invest Rs 300 crore over the next two to three years.

"The investments will be infused into building the Roca brand in India via advertisements and organising builder and architect meets among others, besides opening new stores and upgrading our four facilities to start manufacturing Roca products in India," he said, adding that the company expected to start manufacturing Roca products from January 2008.

With these plans, Parryware Roca expects to capture a 15 per cent market share of the Rs 100-crore organised high-end sanitaryware market. Roca products, which were launched in the country three months ago, are currently imported from Roca's manufacturing factories in Europe.

"We currently offer bathroom suites and taps in India. We plan to launch tiles in the second quarter, which will be followed by Roca's entire product portfolio by this year end," Emilio Salazar, deputy managing director of Parryware Roca, said.