Our Focus is on Tier II & III cities: Suresh Kumar Mansukhani

Junckers wooden floorings from Denmark boasts of being used at the Prime Minister’s House, The President’s House, Parliament House and many other big buildings in India including 5 Star Hotels and HNI’s. Even names like Sachin Tendulkar, Akshay Kumar have Junckers wooden floors in their house. Junckers is present in more than 30 countries. So, what makes Junckers so extraordinary? How its distribution model working in India and is it here to stay now? We asked all of this and much more to Suresh Kumar Mansukhani, Country Manager – Indian Sub-Continent, Junckers. Read on…

What made Junckers enter Indian market?
The size and the acceptance of Junckers as a branded solution for wooden floorings made us enter the Indian market. When Junckers entered the Indian market in 2000, internet was not common, hence only those people who were aware of Junckers abroad knew what the brand is all about. Very few Architects specified Junckers to a select list of HNI’s. We had just one distributor who was representing Junckers in his own way. Today, we can boast of Junckers being used at the Prime Minister’s House / The President’s House/ Parliament House and many other big buildings.

How do you work via distribution model in India and other countries? What great opportunities do you have for Investors/partners in India now?
We have a simple model of distribution. India is divided into 4 Zones. North/South/East and West- The Sub Continent is represented by Sri Lanka / Bangladesh/ Nepal and Pakistan. The Indian Sub -Continent therefore has 8 slots for 8 distributors. These distributors can appoint dealers in their respective zones which cater to Tier II and III cities. Indian is now churning out almost 28000 millionaires every year. Most of these people can also be found in Tier II/III cities.

How do you plan to choose your distributors in India? Any special requisites? Conditions?
We need a financially sound person with a good showroom/display outlet and strong network of architects and interior designers. A person from the same / similar product line would be welcome.

What are your plans for this year? Any focus cities as such?
Our focus is on Tier II and III cities this year and next.

What are your thoughts on franchising as a business model? Do you also plan to anytime later open exclusive stores in India via franchise partners?
We are not sure if we would open our own stores in India. In fact, to have franchisee showrooms is always a better answer while making awareness in the niche segment.

What challenges you see here in Indian market and have you devised any strategies to overcome them?
Initially when wooden flooring was launched in India 20 years back, laminated flooring and wooden waste strips known as parquet flooring were known as Wooden Flooring. At that time marble and granite was the biggest competitor to wooden flooring. Today, the scenario has changed as various wooden flooring brands have become competitors to each other. For example, we have the engineered flooring/ solid wood flooring/ bamboo flooring/laminated wooden flooring and so on. All these floorings are today categorized as wooden flooring. So, we need to make the clients aware about the difference in all kinds of floorings, especially Junckers versus other flooring and Junckers versus the Solid Wood Floorings.

What has been the toughest part in last 70 years for Junkers?
To maintain quality and to innovate new and better ideas with respect to maintenance and installation etc. Any piece of wood is a piece of wood unless it is not properly and aesthetically installed and maintained. Junckers also believes in the colour trends in the world and makes frequent changes required to stain the wooden flooring.