Godrej has launched its U&US Home Design Studio in Hyderabad, its first such store in South India. It plans to set up a chain of such studios across malls and busy hubs in the country.
An initiative of the diversified Godrej Group, the flagship store, part of Godrej Interio, aims to transform spaces through co-creation and by engaging local carpenters, workers and designers.
While the first studio was set up in Mumbai, it has gradually ramped up to five stores and plans to set up 50 more with nine of them coming up in the current year. A team of Godrej executives, interior designers and various players in the trade, including carpenters, will be available at the stores and help address customers’ interior design and furnishing needs.
Apart from providing job opportunities to carpenters and business for designers, the store helps collaborate and co-create agile and stylish living spaces.
Guiding customers “A team of experienced designers present at the store guide customers through detailed space layout, décor and furnishing, thereby offering a 360-degree solution in home design/renovation,” Anil Mathur, COO, Interio Division, told BusinessLine .
“Over the years, Godrej, through its Interio division, has transformed office furnishing and gradually entered home furnishing. Now we are looking at a different segment which wants to create interiors of its choice through these studios,” he explained.
The ₹40,000-crore furniture market is growing at over 7-8 per cent per annum and of this nearly 80 per cent is in the unorganised segment. Within the organised segment, Godrej Interio has grown to a business of over ₹2,000 crore and witnessed double-digit growth, he said.
Anil Mathur said, “U&US is a disruptive business where the customer is a proactive member of the design team. Through such stores, we endeavour to offer our ability to develop their designs within a budget.”
Manoj Jiwan Rathi, Head, U&US Home design Studio, said, “Our strategy is to have studios in malls and smaller format studios in upcoming localities. We are also looking at opportunities in Tier-I and Tier-II cities where there is a growing young population looking at new generation interiors.”