4Ps B&M: Do you believe that the increasing competition will pose a threat to your leadership position and especially are the aggressive launches by BMW a point of worry for you?
WA: For us, the important thing is to have a set of satisfied customers as it will be the only factor, which will drive sales & profitability going forward. If you look at India overall, we believe that we have a very good product portfolio and network density. We are currently investing Rs.150 crores in the network itself, both to increase its reach and to ensure that the Mercedes Benz retail experience is the best in the country.
4Ps B&M: When you talk about increasing the reach, are you referring to opening more dealerships in the Tier-II and Tier-III cities?
WA: The expansion will definitely happen in the Tier-II and Tier-III cities basically driven by two things, one is the overall situation of the city i.e. how many people are making what kind of money and how many cars are already on the road. These are some parameters that will determine where we will set up the shop next. The way we set up is in a very structured manner i.e. we will set up the service centre first, moving to sales and then slowly upgrading the sales & service experience to ensure that we give the best retail experience. If you look at the metros, we have new investments coming up there too. We are opening a new showroom in South Bombay, Gurgaon. In fact, by the first half of 2010 we will have 20+ new facilities across the country.
4Ps B&M: You also mentioned about upgrading your retail experience, what is that all about?
WA: This is an investment to upgrade our facilities for e.g. we are moving from a smaller facility to a relatively larger facility so that the consumer can savour more of the Mercedes brand.
4Ps B&M: Is it something like a boutique showroom, which BMW did recently?
WA: BMW is relatively new to the country and so are their investments. We are making all the possible efforts to ensure that Mercedes is not left behind. But I don’t think we will do a boutique showroom rather we will focus on opening significant showrooms, which will give an opportunity to the consumer to experience what Mercedes brand is all about and also experience our product portfolio.
4Ps B&M: But the per cent growth that BMW filed was almost double that of Mercedes in the last fiscal. Do you believe that it will pose a threat to your leadership position?
WA: That’s particularly because of the lower base that they have. If you look at the growth of Audi, it is currently three times to that of BMW.
4Ps B&M: Agreed but BMW again has a target of 3,000 units this year and if Mercedes does almost the same the company did in the first half (1500 units) don’t you think it will be a threat to your leadership position?
WA: For us the important thing is to have the right product and the right processes in the right year in front of the Indian consumer, which will drive both the sales and profitability going forward. We have a good position in the C & the S-class segment and we will roll out the E-class soon, which globally outsells competition.
For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
1 lakh copies sold in less than 10 days of Arindam Chaudhuri’s “Discover The Diamond In you”
IIPM fights meltdown, places 2300 students By Education Mail Bureau
Delhi/ NCR B- Schools get better By Swati Sharma
Events at IIPM
Detail of all IIPM branches
IIPM set to beat economic slowdown
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON
WA: For us, the important thing is to have a set of satisfied customers as it will be the only factor, which will drive sales & profitability going forward. If you look at India overall, we believe that we have a very good product portfolio and network density. We are currently investing Rs.150 crores in the network itself, both to increase its reach and to ensure that the Mercedes Benz retail experience is the best in the country.
4Ps B&M: When you talk about increasing the reach, are you referring to opening more dealerships in the Tier-II and Tier-III cities?
WA: The expansion will definitely happen in the Tier-II and Tier-III cities basically driven by two things, one is the overall situation of the city i.e. how many people are making what kind of money and how many cars are already on the road. These are some parameters that will determine where we will set up the shop next. The way we set up is in a very structured manner i.e. we will set up the service centre first, moving to sales and then slowly upgrading the sales & service experience to ensure that we give the best retail experience. If you look at the metros, we have new investments coming up there too. We are opening a new showroom in South Bombay, Gurgaon. In fact, by the first half of 2010 we will have 20+ new facilities across the country.
4Ps B&M: You also mentioned about upgrading your retail experience, what is that all about?
WA: This is an investment to upgrade our facilities for e.g. we are moving from a smaller facility to a relatively larger facility so that the consumer can savour more of the Mercedes brand.
4Ps B&M: Is it something like a boutique showroom, which BMW did recently?
WA: BMW is relatively new to the country and so are their investments. We are making all the possible efforts to ensure that Mercedes is not left behind. But I don’t think we will do a boutique showroom rather we will focus on opening significant showrooms, which will give an opportunity to the consumer to experience what Mercedes brand is all about and also experience our product portfolio.
4Ps B&M: But the per cent growth that BMW filed was almost double that of Mercedes in the last fiscal. Do you believe that it will pose a threat to your leadership position?
WA: That’s particularly because of the lower base that they have. If you look at the growth of Audi, it is currently three times to that of BMW.
4Ps B&M: Agreed but BMW again has a target of 3,000 units this year and if Mercedes does almost the same the company did in the first half (1500 units) don’t you think it will be a threat to your leadership position?
WA: For us the important thing is to have the right product and the right processes in the right year in front of the Indian consumer, which will drive both the sales and profitability going forward. We have a good position in the C & the S-class segment and we will roll out the E-class soon, which globally outsells competition.
For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
1 lakh copies sold in less than 10 days of Arindam Chaudhuri’s “Discover The Diamond In you”
IIPM fights meltdown, places 2300 students By Education Mail Bureau
Delhi/ NCR B- Schools get better By Swati Sharma
Events at IIPM
Detail of all IIPM branches
IIPM set to beat economic slowdown
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON
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