The (Swiss) knives are out

Q&A: Anish Goel

For the past 12 years, selling the iconic Swiss army knife in India has been a passion for Anish Goel, managing director, Victorinox India. Today, the brand is synonymous with not just knives but also watches, travel gear and lifestyle products.

In keeping with his expanding product line, Goel has now embarked on an ambitious retail project. He shares his plans on his chain of stores, Basecamp, with Anand Sankar

What is Basecamp?
The Victorinox product line includes army knives, cutlery, watches, perfume and travel gear. In addition, we are also wholesale agents and distributors of Maglite torches. These are all signature products. We will be retailing them along with other brands under one roof. Our outlets are presently at DLF mall (Saket, Delhi), Phoenix mall (Mumbai) and, the newest one, at Ambience mall (Gurgaon).

What are some of your other unique products?
We have gear like sleeping bags, handy tools and travel luggage, of which the speciality is waterproof bags that you can even go swimming with! Another unique product will be disposable underwear, a real life-saver while camping. There is also a nail polish remover that comes on tissues — that you can just wipe away with.

The retail model of Victorinox has visibly changed. Why?
Victorinox India doesn’t have any exclusive stores. Instead, we have the concept of shop in shops. We have about 800 such partnerships. We retail watches at 35 outlets and luggage at 10 outlets.

Pocket knives are impulse products so these are present at many other stores, instead of just being limited to company-owned ones. In terms of corporate gifts, we feel our products have an advantage because they are unique and last a lifetime. Our clients include IBM, Microsoft, Dabur, private banks and pharma companies.

Any special products that buyers need to look out for?
We brought out our 125-year anniversary knife last year. It is a replica of the first Swiss knife. We retailed a specialised rescue tool too last year. It is finished in bright yellow and is suitable for ambulance and fire brigade crews, but also other car users. It has a special sharpened tip to break through toughened safety glass and a cutter to tear the glass.

It is priced at Rs 3,100 and is useful if you are trapped in your car in an emergency. We also have ornamental knifes with rosewood handles, which are favoured by chefs. They are also a great gifting option.