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India’s Titan Upbeat on Jewelry Sales
Jul 5, 2017 3:46 AM
By Rapaport News
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RAPAPORT... Titan Company reported strong jewelry sales in the first
fiscal quarter and said it expects to benefit from India’s new tax system.
The jewelry division saw 50% year-on-year growth during the
period running up to the Akshaya Tritiya festival on April 28, an important
season for gold-buying, Titan said Tuesday. The retailer also operated a “very
successful” gold-exchange program in June that resulted in strong overall improvement during the month.
That growth was due in part to weak comparable sales last year, when a nationwide jewelers’ strike in March and April over a new excise duty shut down the sector. As such, the figures for this year’s first quarter — which ended June
30 — looked more favorable, the company pointed out.
The new goods and services tax (GST), which went into effect
July 1, will likely work to the advantage of organized jewelers such as Titan, the retailer explained. Titan has promised to compensate its franchise partners
for losses arising from the 3% levy on gold and jewelry. Meanwhile, the company reported a “seamless” switch to compliance with the new regime.
“We believe [GST] should not create any disruption in sales [or
in] gold exchange,” it said.
Watch sales have also been unaffected so far, despite the new 28% tax on sales of timepieces. However, the
company did postpone two of its promotional events due to tax-related
uncertainties and their potential impact on the business. Timepiece prices are
unlikely to rise, but the tax will likely increase the risk of watch-smuggling
into the country, Titan warned.
The
company, India’s largest jewelry retailer, operates more than 1,200 stores
across the country, including 160 under the Tanishq brand.
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Tags:
Akshaya Tritiya, gold, goods and services tax, GST, India, Rapaport News, Strike, Tanishq, tax, Titan, Titan Company
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