Kanika Bakshi Talwar & Devika Bakshi

HELLO! MEETS THE SISTERS AND MANAGING DIRECTORS OF JEWELLERY BRAND PANDORA, WHICH IS HEADQUARTERED IN DENMARK AND RETAILS IN OVER 100 COUNTRIES ACROSS THE WORLD

When was PANDORA incepted and what was the inspiration behind it? Kanika Bakshi Talwar: “It all started in 1982 in a small jeweller’s shop in modest surroundings in Copenhagen, Denmark, a country best known for its fairytales. Danish goldsmith, Per Enevoldsen and his wife, Winnie had a dream to bring uniqueness and individuality to every woman through the most beautiful, genuine, hand-finished jewellery. Thirty-five years later, PANDORA is present in over a 100 countries, across six continents and has become one of the world’s largest jewellery brands.”

Tell us more about this hugely successful brand...

Devika Bakshi: “PANDORA’s mission is to celebrate women by offering them the opportunity for personal expression through their universe of high-quality, contemporary jewellery at affordable prices. All the products are designed in-house, are manufactured in their own facilities and distributed worldwide through around 7,900 points of sale, including more than 2,100 concept stores! We employ more than 21,200 people worldwide of whom around 12,500 are located in Thailand, where the company manufactures its jewellery. In 2016, the brand’s total revenue was DKK 20.3 billion (approximately EUR 2.7 billion).”

PANDORA has only recently opened in India with a store in the capital… was the Indian market not mature enough till now?

Kanika: “India has always been an investor’s dream with its growing economy and aspiring middle-class. Similar to the many other retail brands across genres that have entered the country in the last decade, PANDORA had its eyes set on the Indian market for a few years. While coming into India was the easy decision, what was very important was to get the right partner who shared the same vision and values as the brand.”