Kohler cruises for 200 smart city projects

In an attempt to expand its footprint in the country’s smart city projects, Kohler India has decided to expand its operation in 80 more cities in next three years, thereby, taking its presence to 200 cities, President, Kohler South Asia, Salil Sadanandan said that the player expects that bulk of the growth in coming years will come from tier-II and tier-III cities. The burgeoning middle-class present in these cities have an aspiration for better living standards which is demand for its products. The company currently has 400 retail outlets with their distribution partners and plans to add 100 every year for next 3 years. With residential sector a little sluggish, the company plans to focus on retail and commercial sector for now. With GST and other reforms being carried out by current government, David Kohler, CEO of the Kohler Company, believes going forward India promises better opportunities compared to other developing cities. Prior to this, complexity of tax laws was high and the process was cumbersome for businesses. Though there will be initial cost and challenges, eventually GST will help companies to scale up easily. The company has recently inaugurated the first Kohler Experience Centre in the country and is in the process of opening 9 such experience centre across the world.