Kaya undergoes brand revamp to target young consumers

New Delhi: Kaya Ltd (formerly Marico Kaya Enterprises Ltd), which operates 100 beauty clinics in India, has undergone brand repositioning to target young consumers through new products and services. The chain of Kaya Skin Clinics was conceptualised by Marico’s founder Harsh Mariwala in 2002 to address skin-related concerns through technology intervention and treatments recommended by dermatologists.

Kaya, whose clientele mainly includes high net worth individuals (HNIs) in 26 cities, wants to break away from its image of being just a skin treatment centre to appeal to relatively younger set of customers.

To begin with, the company has dropped ‘Skin’ from its brand name, invested ₹ 15 crore in revamping its clinics and introduced a range of hair-care treatments, including spas and transplants.There is a deeper focus on laser hair removal treatments both for men and women, which contributes 30% to the company’s overall revenue.

“The rebranding exercise is targeted to change the perception of Kaya being a skincare clinic. The name ‘Kaya Clinic’ reflects a wholesome offering, including services and products for body, hair as well as skin,” according to Rajiv Nair, chief executive, Kaya Limited.

Hair transplants will be the company’s big focus area going forward. Besides, it also sees a growth opportunity in the products segment.

Kaya has also launched an all-natural range, Derma Naturals, for selling affordable sheet masks. The company will soon launch lip balms and hair care products starting at ₹ 125 across e-commerce platforms.

“Our product range currently contributes 20% to our overall revenue, which we expect to grow by 25% in 2019. It is currently a ₹ 50 crore business and we want it to grow rapidly. We are looking to go beyond our clinics and have a larger presence,” according to Nair.

Kaya’s range of products has gone up from 45 individual items or stock keeping units (SKUs) to 75 SKUs, including skin creams, shampoos , lotions and sunscreens. The products are sold through its 100 clinics and over 150 multi-brand outlets (Shoppers’ Stop and Lifestyle) and modern trade retail (Health & Glow, Religare Wellness and NewU). It recently launched more small and travel-friendly packaging to help new customers sample the brand.

The firm recently started selling its products through pharmacies in Mumbai and plans to scale up further in cities such as Pune, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai. Expansion in shopping malls across the country is also on the cards.

The company is also trying to expand its distribution network to semi-organised players. “We want to be present in the top 20 to 30 retail outlets in every city of the country,” said Nair.

The company posted consolidated revenue from operations of ₹ 107.5 crore for the quarter ended September 30, 2018, a 6% growth over the corresponding quarter in the previous year. Kaya also operates in West Asia with around 24 clinics.