How a CA-turned-entrepreneur built one of India's top marble brands

Building your dream home or planning a house renovation? Confused over how to style your kitchen and bathroom? Or thinking of getting some imported polished stone to adorn your house? Mind you that from innovative sculptures to classic memorials, Indian granite has fascinated the home makers and home buyers with its beauty. Of late, it is also known to be one of biggest staples for kitchen interiors across the world. Here's a ring side story of India's granite and marble industry.

Speaking to Bizz Buzz exclusively, Manish Kasat, Partner-Owner, Marudhar Marble & Granite, a homegrown leading marble and granite brand, narrates how he has written the brand's success story and also how they are charting out their new growth trajectory

The global natural stone and marble market size was $57.48 billion in 2019 and is projected to reach $62.58 billion by 2027, exhibiting a CAGR of 7.57 per cent during the forecast period. In India, the marble market is estimated at $13 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach $16 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 3.6 per cent from 2020 to 2025

The India marble market is anticipated to witness significant growth in the coming years on account of growing utilization of marble for interior decoration of structures in hotels, temples, churches, among others and then airports, roads and where not? Nowadays, consumer preference for marble is witnessing an increase across the country

How did the journey start?

I was a very good student and completed my Chartered Accountant and Company Secretaryship courses. I was keen on doing something. Being the only son, my dad obviously wanted me to stay here with him and I also wanted to stay with my family. At that time my father bought a plot of land at Salt Lake and we were building a bungalow at Salt Lake and he wanted me to supervise and sort of oversee the works there. I was still in my college and had lot of time in hand and therefore I lapped up that opportunity. While doing that job, I developed kind of a passion for this segment. I also realised that Kolkata has lot of potential in terms of doing business. That time my uncle who was into tiles and granite (Makrana) helped me a lot in getting familiarised and understanding the particular industry segment. My family had been in garments, kidswear and textile business, but I opted out of that and started my own business in this new area in 2002.

Was there any particular trigger to get into this particular business, other than the fact that you were building your bungalow?

We were very strong in garments business. We still are. But somehow I did not like the credit system in that particular business. We used to sell the garments on credit and then run after the customers/buyers and wait for the payment. You make all the efforts to make a product, then make all the efforts to sell them and again make efforts to get or recover your payments—I simply did not like this idea. I always wanted to do something where my entire efforts would be towards making quality and sought after products for which payments would come immediately. See, we don't sell products. We offer the right solutions to the customers. That's why we don't have to sell anything, customers come to us.

Right from the word 'go' you have been into this luxury segment?

No, the shift came around 2010, when we gradually got into this luxury segment. But at the same time, if someone comes to us even for a small table top or small quantity of pebbles for garden, we make it for them with equal care so that he is fully satisfied. You never know, tomorrow the same person may come for his entire house.

How big is the overall tiles and granite industry in India?

The global natural stone and marble market size was $57.48 billion in 2019 and is projected to reach $62.58 billion by 2027, exhibiting a CAGR of 7.57 per cent during the forecast period. In India, the marble market is estimated at $13 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach $16 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 3.6 per cent from 2020 to 2025. The India marble market is anticipated to witness significant growth in the coming years on account of growing utilization of marble for interior decoration of structures in hotels, temples, churches, among others and then airports, roads and where not? Now-a-days, consumer preference for marble is witnessing an increase across the country. Marble is a rock formed by the metamorphism of calcite with other impurities such as quartz, graphite, mica, clay, among others. India is among the world's top-10 producers of marble with yellow marble being most prevalent in the country. It's a huge, huge market. In West Bengal alone, the total sales (households and institutional sales, taken together) should be around 20 lakh sq ft every month.

How do you position your brand- Marudhar Marble & Granite? How do you stand out in the market place? How many varieties or types do you have at this point in time?

Marudhar Marble & Granite symbolizes impeccable quality and unparalleled service. The brand has been associated with grandeur and elegance, with a reputation for providing the most superior class of marble, granites, tiles and bathroom fittings. Respected by its peers and customers alike, the company has been steadfast in its commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction. The exquisite range of over 300 types of marble, granite, onyx, travertine is procured from the world's finest quarries, nestled in Italy, Spain, Greece, Turkey, Brazil and 25 other countries. Our collection of over 2,000 types of tiles is also procured from around the world keeping the quality at the superior levels. We have set benchmarks in the natural stone industry by providing innovative and functional solutions for both residential and commercial spaces.

Where do you source your products from?

Our products are sourced from the finest quarries of the world and only the most premium grade of material is procured for our customers. Our long established relationships with quarry owners in more than 30 countries (Germany, Italy, Spain, Turkey, US, China, Thailand, Vietnam and so on) make us their preferred partner for the India market.

Going forward, where do you want to see Marudhar Marble & Granite?

Our aim is to beautify every residential and commercial project in India. We envision redefining lifestyles by making the world's most exquisite natural stones available to you.

Besides your products, do you also offer some services, in terms of offering interior decoration counselling or something like that?

See, if I start interior decoration business, why should interior decorators come to us for buying our products? But yes, when a buyer comes to us we first ask his requirements and then suggest him accordingly. We also try to match a buyer's requirement and requirement provided by the contractor and if we find any mismatch or any inflated requirements from the contractors, we immediately point that out, so that there is a saving on the customer's parts.

How has the pandemic affected or impacted your business?

On the contrary, by God's grace, we have grown during this phase. Necessitated by home isolations and other factors, many people felt the need of having additional bathrooms and toilets at their homes. Then many people felt the need of redesigning, redecorating and rearranging their apartments, thanks to work from home schedules. And for everything, there were needs for tiles, marbles. We also expanded. We added atleast 4000 sq ft additional showroom spaces and three-four new products from new countries. Mind you best of business minds always find opportunities in adversities.