Spread across South India and the UAE, Bhima Jewellers was established by Bhima Bhattar in 1925.
K Lakshminarayana Bhattar, popularly known as Bhima Bhattar, started off supplying two silver tumblers – made from his wife’s heavy anklets, for he did not have the capital to invest. This was when he was pondering over how to augment his meagre revenue from selling perfumes and cosmetics at his brother-in-law’s hotel Girija Nivas, where Bhattar also worked.
The journey has continued through world wars and generations of the management with unwavering commitment to purity.
An ad campaign by Bhima Jewellery launched in 2021, created by agency Animal, was applauded by netizens and juries alike for breaking stereotypes, especially in a category like jewellery. It featured the journey and transformation of a young trans woman and her family’s acceptance and embracement of her identity, through to her wedding. The special relationship she shares with the brand along the way and the promise of purity shone through, making not just a social statement but becoming a powerful piece of communication for the brand. The nuanced and sensitive ad made the world notice the brand and its ‘pure’ promise.
The brand-building effort was not a one-off. The gold and diamond jewellery brand with a legacy of 97 years is in expansion mode. It added two stores in Hyderabad to its 50 stores in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, besides the UAE, with plans to add more across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The new stores demonstrate how a legacy brand can embrace technology and tradition. They feature an AR-based virtual ‘Bhima Experience Zone’, an exotic ‘Bhima 24 Karat Café’ and a ‘Bhima Play Zone’ for kids.
The chain’s late founder Bhima Bhattar, would have been proud of the recent developments. For he was the man who pioneered readymade jewellery and launched what is billed as Kerala’s first air-conditioned jewellery showroom.
Even as it expands and embraces technology, it will be hard for Bhima to outdo itself when it comes to its path breaking advertising. It has certainly raised the bar on that front, and expectations.
