Dubai: No Indian household could do without it — the big, bulky steel “Godrej” cupboards that used to occupy a sizeable corner of their homes. They looked as if they weighed a tonne ... and that was the whole point of it. It came with a sense of deterrence that would overwhelm any burglar.
And it was a coveted product that brides would bring to their new homes as part of the trousseau.
But the times are changing. Godrej Security Solutions — part of a group whose interests straddle multiple sectors — introduced a miniaturised home safe for the Indian market in 2015 and, now, is introducing it to a potential UAE client base.
The strategy behind the product — branded “Goldilocks” — is to “break away from the general perception that security lockers are bulky,” said Mehernosh Pithawala, the company’s Head of International Business, “Indians today are eventually getting aware of the need for adoption of security solutions at home, and a product like Goldilocks caters to that demand.”
A smart sensor triggers an alarm if someone tried to tamper, and a touch-panel that reinforces the feeling of being totally new-age. “In the last five years, the category penetration of home safes has increased from 0.7 per cent to 2.4 per cent of the target population,” said Pithawala.
Not that GSS is giving up on its institutional business — walk into any bank’s locker room in India and chances are you will come across a “Godrej”.
“Our business from institutional security offering does form a major chunk of sales,” said Pithawala. “Today, Godrej Security solutions is one of Asia’s leading manufacturers of security solutions and has huge popularity in South Asia and European markets. We would like to build the same footprint in the Middle East by offering user-centric products.
“GSS’s existing network is currently focused major on B2B segments. We are now focused on increasing presence in the retail space.”
And what’s with the Goldilocks name — doesn’t it make the product feminine while security has always been deemed different?
“We believe security is a right that all of us are entitled to ... be it a man or a woman,” said Pithawala. “The Goldilocks name was given to a project aimed at creating a solution of a secure place for each member of a family.”
