Become a 1 percenter!

No, I'm not referring to the outlaw motorcycle club or the super-rich. I allude to the fact that Royal Enfield has captured 1% of the Indian motorcycle market, by growing sales 44% in a year in which motorcycle sales were down overall by 4% overall! It has also launched a line of apparel. This is a smart move. As The Man himself puts it "Through the apparel line, we want to create an aspiration value for the bikes" which a lot of people, particularly the young, cannot afford in India but may be able to afford later in life. At least for Harley-Davidson, it has worked like a charm, merchandising accounts for 43% of revenues, with a profit margin of 35.9% for the Milwaukee firm.