Wealthy Indians indulge in bathroom luxury with $18,500 smart toilet Reuters

By Dhwani Pandya

MUMBAI (Reuters) – In India’s polluted northern city of Kanpur, Rajat Ghai has a passion for Rado watches and Louis Vuitton shoes. Now, as the 31-year-old entrepreneur builds his dream home, he’s channeling his designer taste into luxury bathrooms.

Guy spends $28,000 on designer fittings from American giant Kohler and Japan’s Toto, installing a Jacuzzi tub, shower with steam features and a multi-use toilet with a heated thermostatic seat and automatic deodorizer.

“Japanese toilets are very futuristic and clean, it was like we were in a different world. I wanted to bring that experience home,” said Guy, recalling the visit to Japan that inspired the purchase.

“I actually spend time here, I can relax, I can be with myself. So I want it to be comfortable and relaxed.”

India is emerging as the leading German manufacturer for Kohler, Toto & Hansgrohe, the renowned faucet and shower manufacturer. Bathroom hardware companies are planning more stores, striking deals with developers and ramping up production in the world’s most populous country as incomes grow.

UBS predicts that by 2028, India will have 1 million more millionaires than Singapore, Hong Kong or Brazil.

In some ways, the luxury boom is an example of India’s fragmentation.

The World Bank’s latest estimate – by 2022 – shows that 11 percent of India’s population will still defecate in the open.

But as millions of Indians cut back on spending in the face of rising prices, the nouveau riche are not afraid of getting worse. India’s sales of Mercedes-Benz (OTC: ) cars hit a record high last year and so did multimillion-dollar apartments in cities big and small.

According to Mumbai-based Anarock Property Consultants, luxury homes accounted for 26 percent of total residential sales last year, more than three times the 2020 level. The homes are mostly apartments in gated communities in India’s seven largest cities, priced above 15 million rupees ($173,000).

Kohler currently has three “experience centers” in India where customers can test water temperature settings and shower pressure. It plans to open similar outlets in major cities – potentially making India a major hub for such centers – as well as many smaller stores.

“People are taking more pride in their homes than ever before. They want to make sure they’re spending a lot of money on this whole sanctuary,” says Ranjeet Ok, Kohler’s managing director for South Asia.

Kohler described India as one of the fastest growing countries in the world. In the year Domestic sales are expected to rise to $230 million in 2023-24, representing a 17 percent annual increase from 2019, regulatory filings show. Net profit grew by an average of about one-third a year.

‘Comfortable cleaning sensation’

Even with India’s growth, China remains the largest bathroom market, according to research firm Statista. The Chinese market is expected to expand by about 11% in five years to 42.7 billion dollars by 2029. India, meanwhile, is set to grow by about 9% to $12 billion over the same period.

In a statement, Toto said that rising incomes and aspirations have led to an increase in demand for bathroom products in India’s major cities.

In the year It added that it will expand its supplier network by a third to 160 by 2025-26, especially in smaller cities.

For Kohler and Hansgrohe, experience centers are at the heart of their strategy.

Housed in an old mill, Kohler’s outlet in Mumbai, a city famous for its unsanitary slums, is spread over 16,000 square feet, making it the size of three basketball courts. Pictured is a 1.6 million rupee ($18,500) Alexa-enabled toilet with built-in chirping bird tunes and a $5,800 sink decorated with a hand-painted design of an Indian fort or a choice of wildlife.

Hansgrohe will open its first experience center in New Delhi this year. It already has 250 outlets in India but will increase it to 400 by 2026, said Thomas Stopper, the company’s vice president for Asia.

The manufacturer also plans to double capacity at its assembly plant near Mumbai. Stopper added that its supervisory board will visit India this year and discuss the feasibility of making India a manufacturing hub.

“We see India as a big and last big strategic opportunity going forward. It reminds me of China 20-30 years ago,” he said.

In Kanpur, Guy, who got his money from call centers, is spending around $925,000 on his new home, which should be completed by the end of 2026.

The seven-bedroom, four-story home has some bathrooms with “rain and mist showers” and Toto’s $2,313 toilet comes with seat heating and a “comfortable cleaning feel.”

Its architect, Kunal Gupta, sums up the plan: “The client’s vision was to achieve the ultimate eye candy yet functional luxury bathroom.”