The Hindu Business Line : Lladro lovers are all the same

LLADRO collectors, worldwide, are similar, according to David Lladro, a member of the family that makes the internationally famous handcrafted porcelain art figurines from Spain. Almost all of them are upper class women above 30 years of age. India is no different,

Lladro, who is visiting the country, said his company sees India as an important and emerging market. At present, Lladro has boutiques in Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai.

The $160-million company launched its third Museum and Gallery in the world and the first in India in Delhi recently.

The other two Museums and Galleries are in Beverly Hills and New York.

Lladro's important markets continue to be the US, the UK and Japan, he said. However, the company was not able to achieve any growth last year as the US economy was badly hit. But the second half of 2002 there has been a recovery in this market, he said.

France, a country that has a number of internationally acclaimed glass and porcelain brands, has proved a challenge for Lladro, Lladro said. The company plans to open a retail store in Paris soon, he said. In China, Lladro faces challenges in the form of copies and duplicates, he said. The company plans to enter the Chinese market soon, he said.

Lladro was founded as a small artisan workshop in the mid 1950s in Almacera, a small farming community near the city of Valencia. Born into a humble farming family, the brothers Juan, Jose and Vicente Lladro decided to dedicate their free time to making ceramics as a means of improving their prospects for the future.

The company grew and consolidated during the 60s. Today, with a workforce of around 2000, the company distributes its creations from the City of Porcelain, the place where the figurines are made, to over a hundred countries.

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