Way back in 1988, Jitendra Kejriwal, Promoter and Managing Director of Sonear Industries, forayed into the world of plywood and decorative veneers in Paharganj, New Delhi. One of the few steps taken by the company to look after the customers was to create a concept called Sonear Studio offering a vast array of laminates and veneers. Another concept initiated by Sonear was Bandhan, a platform where Sonear coordinates with architects to get their feedback from time to time. IMAGES Retail explores the concept further.
Jitendra Kejriwal ventured into manufacturing by setting up the first plant in Araria, Bihar. Within the next 15 years, wide expansion was carried out with Sonear now having three state-of-the-art fully integrated manufacturing units in Sampla and Yamuna Nagar, Haryana.
Sharing what led him to think of launching decorative plywood, Kejriwal says: “In 1993, we started making teak plywood, which is also known as decorative plywood. In 1996, after travelling for a while, I found out that every country has decorative plywood of its own. In 1997–1998, I gathered decorative plywood from different countries, brought them to India and showed it to interior designers, and in 1999, I made huge investments, brought new machinery from Germany, Italy, USA, and started our own factory in India. We then started making decorative plywood of our own and became the pioneer.”
According to Kejriwal, the concept of Sonear Studio is the company’s first step in creating experiential retail zones where their patrons can visit and witness various laminates and veneer options, all under one roof, without actually having to buy them on the spot. Each Sonear Studio houses over 500 designs, 35 scintillating textures, and numerous platters of decorative veneers and laminates.
Kejriwal shares: “Spread over 1,500 sq.ft., Sonear Studio empowers architects and interior decorators to realise their dream of creating a world for their patrons, which evokes a strong sense of luxury as the woods on display are sourced from parts of Europe and Africa. For architects, we have developed an e-catalogue and brand books, which have small cutouts of our products. That would allow a person to touch and feel the actual product. I am proud to introduce the ‘virtual application software; which helps get the factual images of a product when a particular veneer is chosen for it. This surface stimulation system gives one limitless imagination with a simple drag and drop.”
Today, Sonear has over 10–12 dealers in operation in cities such as Srinagar, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Indore, Siliguri, and Guwahati. The company plans to add another 10–12 Sonear studio’s in the next couple of years. The price-points at which the plywood, veneers and laminates start are Rs 1,000 per sheet and go up to Rs 3,500 per sheet.
“Bandhan: Together Towards Tomorrow” was incepted in January 2013. The concept seeks to reach out to design professionals such as architects, interior designers and decorators and create a forum that will allow for knowledge sharing, interaction and discussions and help in creating and inventing innovative products for the future.
The interior decoration sector has undergone a rapid change – urbanisation, real estate development and the desire to have residences or homes that reflect style and luxury have become a norm. To create distinction, consumers are increasingly looking out for ideas and trends, that are different and international in look and feel.
Sonear Industries has presence in two different markets – “infrastructure space” where they stand for quality and stability, offering lifelong plywood and “fashion space”. As they have been pioneers in the decorative veneer category, they are now looking forward to get recognition as a fashion and trendy brand.
According to Sonear, the demand for this type of industry in tier II cities is very good, as these cities are growing and developing at a large rate as compared to tier I cities. Sonear has a product category for all types of people. The price range starts from Rs 30 and goes up to Rs 600 per sq.ft.
