Bajaj Electricals ties up with Nardi S.p.A.

Chennai, April 2008: Bajaj Electricals Limited (BEL) announces a strategic alliance with Nardi Elettrodomestici S.p.A., Italy's leading household appliances company and one of the largest supplier of appliances to modular kitchen makers. The tie up signifies an exclusive agreement wherein Nardi Elettrodomestici S.p.A. would manufacture state of the art products under the "Bajaj Nardi" range, which will then be marketed and distributed through BEL's strong network in India and the SAARC region.

The Appliances business unit of BEL is the No. 1 small appliances brand in India which offers a wide range of domestic appliances under the 'brown goods' category including Water Heaters, Mixer grinders, Steam Irons, Microwave ovens,OTGs, JMGs, Juicers, Room heaters, Toasters, Home UPS and Room Coolers etc.

Through this exclusive tie up BEL will enter the segment of household appliances aimed at targeting the premium segment. The companies will initially kickstart with the launch of hobs & chimneys which will be expanded to other products like OTGs, Designer Microwaves, free standing and built-in Ovens, Dishwashers and other appliances which are considered as integral household appliances for the changing needs of Indian kitchen.

Says Mr. R. Ramakrishnan, Executive Director of Bajaj Electricals, "Bajaj Electricals knows Indian Woman the best, while Nardi knows the International trends and styles very well. The Bajaj Nardi Products will bring World Class Technology into Indian Kitchens and bring happiness into our Consumers life."

With the changing consumer preferences, Indian kitchen too are changing in aesthetics and style. Today usage of top end household appliances in kitchens are not far fetched. The market for Hobs and chimneys is pegged at more than Rs. 300 crores and is growing at a rapid rate.

With the change in consumer preferences, the Indian kitchens have also undergone a metamorphosis. The demand for state of the art household appliances has been steadily rising. Keeping the huge potential in mind BEL has entered into this strategic tie up with Nardi Elettrodomestici S.p.A, Italy.

Mr Marco Nardi, Chairman of Nardi Elettrodomestici says "India is a large market opportunity and is a high priority market for Nardi. With an outstanding partner like Bajaj Electricals, we are confident of becoming a market leader in the Premium end".

About Bajaj Electricals Limited

Bajaj Electricals Limited (BEL) is a part of the Rs.20000 crore "Bajaj Group" who is in the business of steel, sugar, two wheelers & three wheelers besides an impressive range of consumer electrical products and industrial luminaires. Bajaj Electricals Ltd is well established in their range of products such as lamps & tube lights, Luminaires, small household appliances, ceiling fans & table fans and turnkey engineering services. The company's gross sales turnover for 2007-08 touched Rs. 1401 crores. The company was established in 1938 and has been in existence for over 70 years and has steadily grown by expanding the business both in the domestic and international markets.

Bajaj Electricals has 19 branch offices spread in different parts of the country besides being supported by a chain of about 600 distributors, 3000 authorized dealers, over 2,50,000 retail outlets and over 230 Customer Care centres. BEL today has five major Strategic Business Units comprising of lighting, luminaires, fans, appliances and engineering & projects. The company is also in Transmission Line Towers, Rural Electrification and Automation businesses.

About Nardi S.p.A.

NARDI Elettrodomestici S.p.A. household appliance is an Italian company. It was 1958 and the Italian style had not yet achieved the visibility and credibility that made the country famous around the globe, becoming the emblem of beauty, quality and elegance.

The Nardi group has over 600 employees and there are more than 700,000 appliances sold yearly, and the products sell in over 80 countries. The product line includes 121 models of built-in ovens and 190 models of hobs, range cookers, refrigerators, dishwashers, sinks and hoods. Nardi is also the biggest supplier to modular kitchen retail outlets in Italy. The company has 3 manufacturing plants situated at Milano & Treviso. The company is a strong player in the domestic market share in Italy in built "� in cooking products.

The success of the "Made in Italy" phenomenon was fostered by enterprises like Nardi, a company that made a trademark out of being Italian; a reason for pride. Metal Design, is the design that has always defined style and excellence of Nardi's production.

Design not only as attention to detail of new forms, but also in production and planning: from the choice of the raw materials to the organization of the production, from the relation between functionality and aesthetics of the products to their maintenance, disposal, recovery and recycling. Nardi respects the consumers as well as the environment. The Company holds UNI EN ISO 9001 Certification.