Canon takes 360° approach

The company is targeting 25% revenue growth in 2005

Canon India Pvt Ltd has declared 2005 as the 'Year of Expansion'. The
company is aiming at achieving a 25 percent growth in revenues and is closing
2005 with a revenue of Rs 330 crore. Accor-ding to Canon India MD Allan Grant,
"Our ambition is clearly to become number one in the three key areas-MFDs,
digital cameras and digital copiers."

The company plans to increase its market share to 17 percent this year in the
digital camera category and expects its digicam business to contri-bute 25
percent of its revenue by 2007. Canon, currently, has eight photo retail stores
called 'Canon Digiclick Zone' in the country, which it plans to exp-and to
50 by the end of 2005.

Apart from introducing the XEED range of projectors, Canon India has set up
four demo centers in Kolkata, Cochin, Bangalore and Indore and would be setting
up five more centers in Srinagar, Jaipur, Coimbatore and Delhi by the end of Q1
of 2005.

Canon India is also planning to set up Canon Home Cinema Centers in 18 major
cities by the end of this year. Canon India expects its projector business to
contribute 35 percent of its revenue by this year-end. Canon would be investing
Rs 2 crore for marketing of its PIXMA range of printers. It would also be giving
impetus to its office automation products. The company currently has 23 percent
market share in the digital copiers category and intends to build on this
leadership in 2005 also.

Currently, Canon has around 550 dealers across the country and plans to
increase it to 1,500 by the end of 2005. Canon India would be adopting a
360-degree approach to brand building by surrounding the customer with
technology.

One of Canon's focus areas for 2005 is to sell its products through the
site canon.co.in and through portals like Yahoo & MSN. The company has
allotted Rs 40 lakh for the online marketing efforts.

CyberMedia News

New Delhi