Interviews

"We are not product hawkers"

Interview with Rakesh Pandey, CEO, Kaya Skin Clinic, Marico Industries

By Aditya Kuber

What is the concept behind the clinics and what are its specialities?
We are pioneering skin care in India. There is a need for result-oriented skin treatment in India. We are offering it in a spa-like ambience. We are also offering the best-in-class techniques and people at our clinics. We have an inhouse dermatologist at every clinic who first checks the client and then suggests a treatment and the tenure.

How many clinics are there already?
We already have 15 clinics and this will be sixteenth. We have seven in Mumbai, six in New Delhi and two in Dubai. We will also be opening another one in Pune on Law College Road shortly. We have also planned 3-4 clinics in Bangalore. We plan to have 29 clinics in all by the end of the financial year.

Why did you choose Pune after Mumbai and Delhi?
Pune is critical for our expansion plans. This was to be the first clinic outside Mumbai and Delhi and Pune seemed just the right place to be. We expect to have 40 people walk in daily.

What is the investment per clinic?
We are investing nearly Rs 1 crore including the machines. We now believe that our expansion is limited only by our abilities.

Are these franchisee-owned clinics?
All clinics are owned by Marico. We are not following the franchisee route because we want to ensure quality. We are offering some complex and unique treatments and products and it is important that we keep a check on the quality.

How much do you expect the products to contribute to the revenue?
As of now, they are contributing 10 per cent but eventually, we expect them to touch 25 per cent. However, we will not just be selling them. We are not product hawkers. We will offer counsel before selling about how the products are to be used.

What is the size of the beauty industry worldwide?
Worldwide, the industry is worth Rs 1500 to Rs 1800 crore. The US is the biggest market for beauty products.

Who are your competition?
To be honest, there is no real competition. Other spas or clinics are in different areas such as Ayurveda. We all have our own space.

What are your most popular services in Mumbai and Delhi?
The acne and pimple treatment is very popular. We have noticed, from our own research, that this is a growing trend even in adults due to our changing lifestyle and eating habits. We believe almost 80 per cent of youngsters in the age group of 15 to 25 are facing this problem.

As published in 'Business' section, The Herald, Pune. (c) The Herald.

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