Nita Ambani is now being touted as the quintessential Guj
ju bargain-hunting wife who’ll leave no stone unturned to get hold of the best piece at the best rate. At present, her to-do shopping list comprises of buying 25, 000 pieces of chinaware for her high-rise home Antilla. Her favourite choice for crockery is none other than the 106-year old Japanese brand ‘Noritake’ whose 22 carat gold/platinum-trimmed porcelain crockery has fans from across the globe.Though I wonder why Mrs. Ambani has to travel all the way to Sri Lanka when an exclusive Noritake showroom in Mumbai is at Kemps Corner, a stone’s throw from the Ambani tower. Perhaps because everybody has to save some bucks! Even if you happen to be corporate India’s first lady, you think of ways to cost-cut for an excessive shopping spree.
Mrs. Ambani has wisely chosen Sri Lanka for this acquisition as Noritake is 70-80% cheaper there th
an elsewhere in the world, including India. This is mainly because Noritake has its largest manufacturing facility in Sri Lanka, and exports its fine china to over 100 countries from there.M Deva Raja, Noritake’s General Manager in Sri Lanka, confirmed the news that they received an enquiry from the Ambanis for more than 20,000 pieces but has not
supplied anything yet. “Noritake is a must-buy for anyone who visits Sri Lanka,” said Santosh Desai, chief executive, Future Brands. “However, an order of such a scale is unheard of for the brand which is an elite icon. But then again, a 27-floor residence is also unheard of.”Noritake’s Raja said the company was studying the specifications in the order and whether they will be able to supply that many pieces or not. If Mrs. Ambani decides to make purchases from Mumbai itself, it would cost her a whopping $1 million! In Sri Lanka, a 50-piece dinner set would cost anywhere between $300-500 but the same is priced between $800 and $2,000 in India!
