“Our target audience in India is youth”

Dotted with constant innovation since its inception, European brand Thomson is celebrated for its outstanding designs, technology and performance. Bringing its legacy of over 120 years, Thomson Audio started its operations in India in 2019 when Envent Worldwide acquired its brand license to market and sell its products in the country. Currently recuperating from the upsetting impact of Covid-19 lockdown, Thomson Audio has now set his goal to fortify its position in the India market. Rohini Walia, Chief Revenue Officer, Thomson Audio, shares more about the brand and its strategy, in an interaction with Ramesh Kumar Raja. Excerpts:

- Ramesh Kumar Raja

The world has come to a standstill, and so are the electronics companies due to Covid-19 lockdown. How is the business so far for Thomson Audio in India?

The widespread outbreak of Coronavirus has left businesses around the world counting costs. Sectors and industries in India as well are now grappling to sustain and counter the threatening impact of the pandemic on the overall economy.

Fear of the virus spread and the government’s lockdown is also having a devastating impact on all industries including the electronics sector. We had a bad start of the calendar year 2020 when China was locked down and we weren’t getting the shipments and when production got stabilized, the demand tanked in India.

Zero sale is hitting us the hardest at the moment and that is leading to a lot of consequential issues in finance and marketing. We cannot do anything about it, but hope for this phase to pass soon without much damage and losses to anyone.

Companies are facing huge losses that may impact the inventories, budgets, finances for the entire first quarter and the next few months’ progress seems extremely bleak. What’s your plan ahead to deal with the crisis?