Eureka Forbes Eyes Rs 500 Crore Sales In Air Purifier Market

Admin   |   27 May, 2015   |   682   |   3980

With the air purification market getting active, Eureka Forbes expects its air purifier segment to grow to around Rs 500 crore in five years. The company is ramping up its distribution network and marketing initiatives to drive growth.

The health and hygiene equipment company had launched air purifiers as early as 1995. But the market was not ready for the product at that time. “In the recent past we are seeing good demand for air purifier with the poor air quality in different cities getting media attention. As per WHO, 1.3 million deaths are happening in India due to air-pollution related illnesses. The awareness is building up in the key cities,’ said Shashank Sinha, deputy general manager marketing, Eureka Forbes.

The company is ramping up its distribution network for the air purifier segment. The company, which is known for direct selling, will also get the products in the retail shelves and on the e-commerce site.

“We have 9,000 people in the pay rolls engaged in direct selling to cover 550 towns in the country. Apart from them, air purifier will have a separate team. Eureka Forbes products are now available in 17,000 retail outlets and the number is being ramped up to 25,000. Air purifiers too will be introduced in the stores. Further, our e-commerce site too will sell the products,” he said.

Currently direct sales account for 60 per cent of sales of the Rs 2,100 crore company. The company wants e-commerce to contribute 10 per cent of the sales by next year.

For air purifier, the company will be primarily relying on its large customer base. Vacuum cleaners and water purifiers already have 15 million customers, who can become prospective buyers of air purifiers.

The marketing activities will largely be focused on educating customers and building the market. “We will be closely working with the doctors in each city who can recommend air purifiers for patients with asthma and pulmonary diseases. We will reach out to parents of children with respiratory problems through schools,” said Sinha.

The company will get its products to 30 cities this year. It is also coming out with new products in the segment to cater to different sets of customers. Meanwhile, Sweden-based air purifier firm Blueair on Tuesday launched its operations in India after testing the market for few years and expects to capture 15 per cent of the total market share in the country in three years.