“Titan was the natural choice when we decided to enter this new venture, especially in a fast growing market like India,” Alessandro Cicognani, licensing & sponsorship revenue director, Ducati Motor Holding told Business Standard in an interview.
“When we develop products that are outside our field of expertise, we would like to rely on the best in class partner,” he added.
It is launching the watches in the price band of ~16,000 to ~25,000 with 43 stock keeping units (SKUs) in the initial launch phase and will be available through its network of Titan World and Helios stores and also have a presence in some multi brand retail outlets.
In the first four months, Titan is targeting to sell Ducati Watches in 250-300 outlets and progressively take it up to 1,000 outlets in the next 18 months.
Titan Watches is focused on bringing more such international brands into the country. It recently announced partnership with Police and also has other international brands like Kenneth Cole, Tommy Hilfiger among others.
Ranjani Krishnaswamy, chief marketing officer, Titan Watches said, “International portfolio has really performed well for us.”
Kuruvilla Markose, chief executive officer, watches division at Titan, also said that the company is looking to add more international brands.
“We would look at bringing more brands, as the interest in India is probably at an all-time high, and rightly so, because the country is growing faster than other economies,” he said.
Markose added, “Though the international brands are more premium, and therefore retailed more in metro and Tier-I cities, and in other premium outlets, rather than in all of the outlets.”
While talking about the overall premium market in watches, Markose said, “As you go up in price points, the bases are smaller, but the rates of growth are higher.”
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