MUMBAI: Sewing machine manufacturer Singer India Ltd. plans to focus on premiumization and diversification into consumer products to garner a greater share in the domestic and industrial markets that are currently flooded by Chinese products.
“Today we have been able to completely reposition ourselves as a premium product,” Rakesh Khanna, vice-chairman and managing director of Singer India, told Mint.
The company plans to invest over ₹100 crore in the next three years in a new plant to increase production of zig zag sewing machines. The company raised about ₹4.5 crore through a preferential allotment of equity shares in November, with proceeds earmarked for manufacturing facility expansion. The rest will be funded through internal accruals, company officials said.
These modern electric sewing machines make stitches in a zig-zag pattern—as opposed to a straight line. A zig zag stitch is ideal for sewing stretch fabrics and preventing fraying on raw edges, unlike straight stitches, which mostly tear under tension.
“We will focus more and more on the basics, the design assembly of the zig zag product in the greenfield project,” Khanna said. “We will be the first ones to manufacture zig zag machines in India.”
The product is a key part of modernizing and premiumizing Singer’s portfolio.
“Zig zag machines sell at least double the price of traditional mechanical black sewing machines,” Khanna said.
While mechanical machines cost ₹4,000-5,000, electric products start at about ₹10,000. Khanna said Singer accounts for more than 50% of the zig zag products sold on Indian websites today.
Shares of Singer India, which is listed on the BSE, also started trading on the National Stock Exchange on Thursday, positioning the company for improved market visibility and institutional investor access. It closed at ₹70.43 on the NSE.
The company has expanded into small consumer durables including fans, coolers, washing machines, irons, mixer-grinders, kettles, gas stoves, and coffee makers as part of its diversification push. Singer got almost 80% of its revenue of about ₹430 crore in FY25 from sewing machines.
Revenue growth
The company reported a 32.4% revenue growth to ₹497 crore in the 11 months ended February. Singer plans to double down on fans and expects the segment to cross “at least ₹100 crore revenue in the next two years,” Khanna said.
The Indian fan market was valued at ₹10,500 crore by the Indian Fan Manufacturers Association in 2023. The company’s revenue from appliances declined 11.6% to ₹75.3 crore in the first nine months of FY26.
“In the appliances business, performance was impacted by muted demand, block trade inventory, rising commodity costs, leading to price increases and tight dealer cash flows, which also affected other categories,” Khanna said on the Q3 investor call.
Singer was awarded a contract worth ₹202.7 crore to supply 281,128 sewing machines under the Pradhan Mantri Vishwakarma Scheme by September 2026.
Retail Holdings India BV is Singer India’s promoter entity, holding 30%. This entity is a licensee of SVP Worldwide, the owner of the Singer trademark. Rekha Jhunjunwala holds a 6.8% stake in the company.
“Profitability will remain a challenge for most players in the (small appliances) industry due to intense competition and consolidation witnessed across large consumer players in the domestic market,” Crisil Ratings said in a March 2026 credit rating report on Singer India. “It is expected that with the improvement in revenue from the sewing business the company will close the year with operating margins of around 2.5%-3% in FY 2026. Sustained improvement in operating margins will remain a key monitorable.”