Aarete Marketing LLP was founded in 2016 and the company brings in a deep and combined work experience in Childcare, kids leisure & Entertainment, stationery, and gaming. Suresh Menon, Director at Aarete Marketing LLP, outlines on the company, its presence in the Indian market, the association with different international brands and the future goals of the company, in an exclusive interaction with Mommy & Baby Times (MBT). Excerpts from the interview:
September 05, 2019
MBT: Kindly take us through the business journey of Aarete Marketing LLP.
Suresh Menon: We started Aarete Marketing LLP in September 2016 with an idea to bring innovative smart parenting solutions hitherto unavailable in Indian market. It’s been a very conscious to become a niche player in the industry and bring in world leaders and brands of repute in baby care and Infant mobility category. Our curated list of brands includes Pur Brands, Infantino, Graco, Bentley, Plan Toys and Evenflo. The presence of these brands is very uniformly distributed amongst offline and online markets. Past few years, we have witnessed that most of the high-value products are gradually moving more towards online, for instance, the Bentley Licensed Tri Cycles sells more online than compared to its physical / offline presence in India. The retail landscape is not developed except for few specialty stores who can do justice to the brand hence we are seeing the shift to online and on the other hand, the low value products to offline such as the general trade stores and mom and baby retail outlets in India. We continue to explore to add new brands that have the synergy and share our vision. We recently partnered with ‘Pur Brands’ a Thailand-based company for which we are rolling out pan India distribution.
MBT: What kind of response has it been for these brands and products that you have received?
SM: The response and acceptance that we have received for brands that we carry has been very positive and given us the desired results. I would like to underline that Pur Brands which we recently started distribution, the products have been received quite well. We believe this brand can be a game changer for us next year.
“Our core focus is centered on niche products which are innovative and new to India. We would like to identify ourselves as a smart parenting solution provider.”
MBT: Please describe your association with Pur Brands and take us through its product range.
SM: Pur Brands has been in India for more than two years now and their presence in India was through a few distributors who imported directly from the company and represented certain regions. The company felt the need to synergize their operations under a single partner to bring more value to the end user. Pur Brands has products under four distinct categories: Breast Feeding, Feeding & Accessories, Personal Care and Home Care.
MBT: What are the different product categories in the baby care and kids segment that Aarete Marketing is involved in?
SM: The different brands that we are working with have product categories such as Push Chairs, High Chairs, Pack N Play, Swings, Baby Carriers, Infantino Sleeping Solutions, Wooden toys, and feeding products. Exersaucer from Evenflo has portable play yards, activity centers and strollers. Bentley Tri cycles designed in collaboration with Bentley Motors and toddler’s needs in mind, The Bentley 6 in 1 Stroller/Tricycle is the perfect combination of elegance and function. With the world famous styling of the Bentley automotive in mind, these tricycles were designed to exude a luxurious aesthetic.
“We are intending to create an in-house label as… we have gained an in-depth understanding of the sector… Essentially, we are looking to create a co-branded product, or it can also be a licensed product.”
MBT: What is the USP or the key strengths of the company?
SM: Our USP is our domain knowledge, core competencies and relevant skill sets. Our core focus is centered on niche products which are innovative and new to India. We would like to identify ourselves as a smart parenting solution provider. Our strength lies in our ability to understand the brand and what they represent and replicate their international success stories with an Indian flavor.
MBT: Is there any recent developments at your company and future plans that you would like to share?
SM: As about the recent developments, our association with Pur Brands is relatively recent as it’s just been around six months or so since we have partnered with the Thailand-based company. Also, I would like to mention that we are intending to create an in-house label as we have a certain amount of experience and expertise in distribution and marketing and we have gained an in-depth understanding of the sector. However, we are planning to have a manufacturing base in India either through a joint venture partnership or so. Essentially, we are looking to create a co-branded product, or it can also be a licensed product. As of now, we are also planning to manufacture a number of products in India for Pur, which would also be exported to other countries where Pur has already established its presence.
