How does one stand out in the crowd of India's growing tribe of the rich?
Well, spending Rs 300,000 in doing up the bathroom can be one way. And, according to Ram Kochar, director of Delhi-based Bathline India Pvt Ltd, there are more and more people willing to spend money on creating a top-of-the-line bathroom complete with gizmos.
"Gone are the days when bathroom was a dirty word or one that was purely functional. Today there is a growing demand for bathrooms that are technically superior and have a dash of style," he says.
Needless to say, that Kochar's business is slowly picking up with the average footfall at his Delhi Bathline store growing.
Encouraged by the response, he plans to open two more showrooms -- one each in Gurgaon and Mumbai by the end of 2004.
Kochar inaugurated his current store in August 2002 and by March this year did business worth Rs 3.5 crore (Rs 35 million). His initial investment in the business was Rs 5 crore (Rs 50 million).
Today, he stocks gold-plated faucets topped with Swarovski crystals for washbasins or bathtubs. There are many more imported bath accessories in the Bathline store, which according to Kochar "provides creative bath solutions".
On sale is a range of bathroom furniture (called Vanities) in combinations of ceramic, wood, stone and metal with matching mirrors and lights, sanitary ware in nearly 30 designs, steam and shower cubicles, bathtubs, jacuzzis, shower panels and a line of accessories (ranging from soap dishes to towel racks and shelves).
"We want to become a one-stop shop for anything to do with the bathroom. We stock nearly everything that can be termed as bathroom furniture. And a customer doesn't have to run around looking for different things that she might need for the bathroom," says Kochar.
Prices are steep though. And the primary reason being all the stock in the Bathline store is imported from Spain, Italy, Germany, the Czech Republic as well as China. Kochar plans to source accessories from Taiwan very soon.
The minimum price tag is Rs 300 for a soap dispenser while the top-end Vanities range could touch the Rs 300,000 mark. Steamrooms can be bought for Rs 250,000.
Vanities and steamrooms are what Kochar is currently pushing as lifestyle statements. He has over 30 designs of Vanities and they come in various combinations of basins, cabinets and lights.
The top-of-the-line steamrooms have jacuzzi, overhead and body showers, built-in telephone and FM radio and back and foot massage.
Wash basins come in ceramic, stainless steel, glass, brass and crystalline glass (a combination of crystals and glass).
Besides paper, leather, marble, wood and granite finish ceramic tiles, crystalline tiles (imported from the Czech Republic and priced at Rs 1,400 a sq ft) which give the impression of waves are drawing a lot of enquiries.