Orient Electric is aiming to become one of the largest players in India’s Business-to-Consumer lighting segment in the next two to three years while maintaining double-digit growth across its diversified portfolio, Ravindra Singh Negi, MD & CEO of Orient Electric, told FE in an exclusive interview.
“In the last little over two years, we moved from a number eight to a number four. The industry has had headwinds of pricing erosion, headwinds of growth, but we were amongst the few listed companies that have grown, both in terms of volumes and value,” Negi told FE.
The company aims to exceed the Rs 1,000 crore revenue threshold for the standalone lighting segment within two to three years. In 2024-25, the company reported a 11 percent year-over-year growth in revenues from the lighting and switchgear segment to Rs 920.73 crore.
The Indian B2C lighting market is dominated by established players, including Havells India, Philips (Signify), SYSKA, Wipro, and Bajaj Electricals.
Applying Functionality and Tech to Lighting
“We want to break into the top three. Once we have done that, we will be among the few companies that have generated more than 1,000 crores of revenue from lighting. And that we intend to do in the next couple of years, two to three years,” Negi said.
The company’s strategic pivot centers around the industry’s transformation toward premiumization and smart solutions.
The transformation underway at Orient Electric reflects broader shifts in Indian consumer behavior, infrastructure investment, and technological adoption, positioning the company as a potential breakout competitor in an industry experiencing significant structural change.
“Today’s consumer is looking for lifestyle apart from functionality,” Negi stated, adding, “Lighting is just a source of illuminating a dark space—that’s the functionality. But that functionality has taken a next step, where this functionality will bring in technology and will bring in a huge amount of lifestyle benefits.”
He added that Orient Electric is doubling down on the growth of its lighting segment and will focus on creating a product portfolio that caters to all forms of real estate construction.
Negi added that Orient Electric’s success with fans provided a blueprint for the growth of its lighting portfolio.
“We succeeded in fans because we understood it’s a combination of functionality, a superior functionality, a lifestyle, and a technology that consumers want,” Negi said, adding that the company plans to apply the same strategy for the growth of its lighting division.
Digital-First Distribution
He added that Orient Electric plans to pursue an omnichannel strategy balancing traditional retail, e-commerce marketplaces, and quick commerce.
“We have to participate in the digital footprint of the consumer, not only from a discovery to purchase journey, but also discovery online and offline purchase,” he said.
He added that the company operates on e-commerce platforms, quick commerce channels like Zepto and Blinkit, and maintains brand.com for trust-building.
“Consumers want to come to our brand.com because that’s the only place where the entire range is there—no Flipkart, no Amazon, no Zepto will have a full range,” he explained.
Negi added that the company is working towards understanding consumer needs and providing solutions across distribution channels to drive its growth.
“Are we anticipating and understanding the consumer needs faster than others. We are creating cohorts of micro markets and solving the consumer needs with matching distribution and supply chain,” Negi adding, “This takes time for capabilities to be built, but it gives you a very stealth USP, which is very difficult to pick up.”
The company has already started offering tailor-made products in different states. In states with electricity deficits like Bihar and Rajasthan, Orient Electric sells two to four-hour emergency backup systems, Negi said.
In infrastructure-growth hubs like Hyderabad, the company focuses on premium products like spotlights and IoT solutions.
