Spanish luxury brand Lladró eyes India as its top growing market  

Large Mediterranean-themed windows, elaborate ceilings, matte finished walls with latticework and geometric motifs—this is just a rough cut of how a typical boutique of 65-year-old Spanish luxury brand Lladró looks like.

The porcelain figurine maker’s trademark style is identical throughout the world—even in its newer markets like India, a place the home décor and fashion accessories maker is eyeing with much enthusiasm.

From figurines of Spanish flamenco dancers to Lord Ganesha, each miniature sculpture is a limited-edition product here and is imported from Valencia—the company’s only factory in the world.

What stands out is that its design is imitation-proof and one of its kind. “It’s impossible to copy our work as it is handmade, unique and original. The entire process involves so many artists for each stage like making colors, ornamentation, decoration etc. that it really makes it exclusive,” said Ana Rodriguez, the company’s Global CEO.

Lladró’s India-centric handmade porcelain collection known as ‘Spirit of India’ features a host of gifting and ornamental items based on theological stories and characters. According to the company, India is now among its top five markets.

“All markets are different in terms of how they interpret taste and trends. In Asia, all this craftsmanship is so appreciated. Indians really understand art. It’s very interesting for us as the pieces are valued and understood,” Rodriguez said.

Lladró’s porcelain structures start from ₹ 5,900 and go upto ₹ 1.65 crore—taking any time between two to seven years to make for a single limited-edition figurine.

The company is also looking to expand its online sales network in India in October. It says that online is going to be the next big step for them as it accounted for 20% of their growth last year.

“We are really investing on online retail channel and working on changing the technology. We are not afraid of selling on other platforms like Amazon. We can expect it soon in India too,” said Rodriguez.

As per the company, the brand is growing between 10% to 15% each year. In India, it ventured in 2006 when in the absence of malls, finding luxury locations was a big challenge. Today, it boasts of 8 high-street stores across the country offering products customised to Indian taste.

“Indians have seen our products abroad. It’s a niche product but the disposable incomes in India have been increasing. This is something which is aspirational. It’s all about the emotions,” said Nikhil Lamba, CEO, Spa Lifestyles, Lladró’s partner in India for more than a decade now.