Berger Paints managing director Subir Bose in Calcutta. Picture by Kishor Roy Chowdhury

Calcutta, Oct. 2: After embarking on a re-branding exercise, Berger Paints now plans to raise the prices across all categories of its products after Diwali.

“We are going to increase prices by 3 per cent to 4 per cent across the board because of the steep rises in the crude oil prices,” said Subir Bose, managing director of Berger Paints India Limited.

The paints manufacturer expects to improve its market share in the premium segment with the re-branding of its entire range of decorative brands under the name ‘Lewis Berger’.

About 14 sub-brands of the company have been merged into eight under the new range.

Lewis Berger will finally have brands like Rangoli, Weather Coat, Silk, Walmasta, Luxol, Bison, Woodkeeper and Tuff.

Named after the founder of the company, Lewis Berger encompasses a series of significant changes aimed at an overall brand upgrade.

These include an improvement in the paint quality, packaging design, printing on the containers and cartons, the aesthetics of the paint outlets across the country and the quality of services given to the customers.

Another pioneering initiative taken by the company is the introduction of warranty on cans.

Additionally, the company will undertake a major human resource exercise, which will involve educating and motivating its employees and dealers to pass on the Lewis Berger brand ethos to the consumers.

With the festive season just around the corner, the re-branding initiative is aimed at strengthening the company’s position in the premium paints segment.

“While we occupy 18-19 per cent share in the overall paints market, our share in the premium segment is 12-13 per cent. We hope to bridge this difference with the re-branding exercise and expect to achieve 1-2 per cent compounded growth in the segment,” said Subir Bose, managing director, Berger Paints India Limited.

Bose said, “The top-end paints category constitutes about 10-20 per cent of the total paints market in the country and has a huge potential for growth.”