Brands
Mercedes-Benz India registers 25 per cent half-yearly sales growth
MUMBAI: Mercedes-Benz announced a strong growth in its sales for the Jan-June 2014 period. The automobile manufacturer registered a significant high of 25 per cent year-on-year growth by selling 4,717 units in this period.
Significant contributor to this growth trajectory has been the flagship S-Class sedan and the ML-Class SUV and the NGC portfolio comprising the A-Class and B-Class. While the C-Class and the E-Class luxury sedans remain the preferred vehicle of choice for the customers, the AMGs continue to grow in the performance segment it created. The recently launched CLA 45 AMG is expected to appeal to a new group of young Indians, hence widening the AMG customer base in India.
Mercedes-Benz India MD and CEO Eberhard Kern commented, “2014 is our year of excellence and it’s our endeavor to create new benchmark in modern luxury. Our ‘Year of Excellence’ growth strategy is paying-off as we have been able to maintain our key focus of growth and sustainability in the Indian market amidst challenging market conditions. The first six months of sales growth reaffirms Mercedes-Benz India’s strong brand premium and competitive edge in terms of offering continuous product innovations, boasting of a benchmark production facility, extending an enriching after-sales experience and strengthening its qualitative network presence. With some of the most fascinating products lined up in the remaining two quarters, including the much awaited GLA-Class, Mercedes-Benz is all set for another year of strong growth.”
The luxury car maker has the densest network presence in the country with 64 outlets in 36 cities. New outlets were opened in Bhubaneswar, Raipur, Bhopal, Chandigarh and Mohali as well as three new AMG performance centres in Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai were inaugurated. The following months will see the launch of eight more outlets.
And it remains the fastest growing luxury brand in India in FY 2013-14 with 47 per cent year-on-year growth.
Brands
Faber-Castell India appoints Sunaina Haldar as director – marketing
With stints at Tata, SleepyCat and ADF Foods under her belt, Haldar is primed to redraw Faber-Castell’s brand story
MUMBAI: Faber-Castell India has poached Sunaina Haldar from ADF Foods, appointing her director – marketing as the German stationery brand looks to muscle up in a category that is rapidly reinventing itself around creativity and self-expression.
Haldar hit the ground running. “My first couple of weeks have been incredibly energising, understanding consumers, visiting markets, engaging with retailers and immersing myself into the world of Faber-Castell Group,” she said.
She arrives with considerable firepower. At ADF Foods, Haldar ran marketing across India and international markets for a portfolio spanning Ashoka, Aeroplane, Camel and ADF Soul. Before that, she was vice-president – marketing at direct-to-consumer mattress brand SleepyCat, where she helmed brand, content and performance marketing. Her résumé also includes a stint leading marketing, new product development and CRM for Tata SmartFoodz at Tata Consumer Products, no small proving ground.
Between corporate roles, Haldar also operated as a fractional CMO for early-stage startups, building marketing strategy and operational structures from scratch, a signal that she knows how to move fast with limited resources.
With 18 years straddling FMCG, D2C and the startup world, Haldar now takes the reins at a brand that has long owned the classroom but is clearly hungry for the living room. In a stationery market where the pencil has become a lifestyle statement, Faber-Castell has picked someone who knows exactly how to sell that story.
