The Roca Group, a global leader in design and production of bathroom products from Spain with presence in 170 countries, is focusing big on India now.

In 2008, the group acquired Chennai-based Parryware (of the Murugappa Group), and since then has been selling its products through the latter’s distribution network across the country.

While Roca serves the luxury and super-premium segments, it caters to the mass category through Parryware products. Currently, India contributes 8 per cent of total Roca’s global revenues and efforts are on to grow this share significantly over the next three years.

The group’s turnover in 2018 was €1,775 million.

The Roca Gallery in Barcelona, spread over 2,400 sq m, is an interactive showroom that gives visitors a glimpse of the company’s history and its latest innovations in bathroom fittings, including products that save water and energy.

It also shows how the company’s products have been adapted to the requirements of different markets.

Innovation drive

Carlos Velazquez, Corporate Marketing Director, Roca, who took a group of journalists from India on a tour of the Gallery, said that the place is open to architecture professionals from across the city to discuss innovations in bathroom space.

Of the many products on display at the Ggallery, the most impressive were the smart toilets (with automatic cleaning and closing function and a control panel that can be operated through a remote control), the dual flush cisterns, the thermostatic faucets (that keep a consistent temperature, and automatically checks temperature raising beyond a level for energy saving) and the ‘W+W’ that combines a basin and WC in one single piece. The integrated basin and WC help to save water as well as optimise space.

It filters the wash-basin water and re-uses it in the toilet — a ‘wonder’ product for a water-starved country like India.

India business

Since 2005, when Roca first stepped into India with a 50:50 joint venture with Parryware, the former has been trying to take full advantage of the brand strength and reach of the latter to grow in the country.

Parryware boasts of a network of 10,000 retailers across the country. On an average, the brand sees acquisition of about 100 new customers every hour.

In 2018, Parryware products recorded a growth of 18 per cent year-on-year; for the first-half of 2019, the growth recorded was 20 per cent. This is significantly higher compared to sales of listed players in the sanitaryware space, including Cera Sanitaryware.

KE Ranganathan, Managing Director, Roca India (which now owns the Parryware brand too), said that the next phase of growth in India, will be driven by the Roca brand. The company last month launched designer tiles under the Roca brand in Gujarat and is now tying up with distributors for it across India. This will complete the bathroom products offerings of Roca in India, added Ranganathan.

The writer visited Roca’s facility in Barcelona recently at the invitation of the company