Founded in 1832 by Ganesh Narayan Gadgil in Sangli, PNG Jewellers operates in India’s jewellery industry.
A key milestone came on February 9, 1958, when the Late Shri Dajikaka Gadgil opened the flagship store on Laxmi Road, Pune. His leadership and business acumen laid the foundation for the brand’s modern-day success. Today, PNG Jewellers looks to continue to build on this legacy, blending tradition with innovation.
Under the leadership of Dr. Saurabh Gadgil, who became Chairman and Managing Director in 2000, the brand has transformed from a family-run business into a professionally managed corporate entity with global ambitions. Dr. Gadgil has been pivotal in the brand’s expansion, both across India and internationally, establishing a presence in the USA.
Currently, PNG Jewellers operates 48 stores across India and the USA, a mix of company-owned and franchise outlets. With an annual turnover exceeding ₹6,000 crore, PNG Jewellers employs more than 2,000 people and serves over one million customers each year. The company’s remarkable growth is reflected in its plans to open 65+ stores over the next two years, further solidifying its position as Maharashtra’s largest jewellery retailer.
The brand’s prestige is further elevated by its association with Bollywood icon Madhuri Dixit, PNG Jewellers’ current brand ambassador. Her grace, elegance, and timeless appeal perfectly mirror the core values of PNG Jewellers, making her a fitting representative of the brand.
PNG Jewellers has signature collections, such as Saptam, Pratha, Eiina and Katha, which showcase the brand’s mastery of jewellery craftsmanship and its commitment to preserving cultural traditions. These collections highlight the uniqueness of the designs while aiming to appea to the modern, discerning customer.
PNG Jewellers focusses on leading the way in the jewellery industry through its dedication to innovation in design, customer engagement, and technology integration. From introducing e-commerce platforms to launching innovative collections, the brand is committed to staying at the forefront of industry trends. PNG Jewellers explains that it was also the first jeweller in Pune to have all its diamond jewellery certified by laboratory, reinforcing its dedication to quality and authenticity.
The brand added that it has seen phenomenal growth in its online presence, reflecting its commitment to adapting to modern consumer trends. With its e-commerce platform, PNG Jewellers has seamlessly integrated the convenience of online shopping with the trust and craftsmanship that customers have come to expect. This online initiative has opened new avenues for growth, allowing the brand to reach a broader audience both in India and internationally.
The continued success of PNG Jewellers is driven by a strong and professional leadership team, led by Dr. Saurabh Gadgil. With a forward-thinking approach, the leadership looks to ensure that the company’s rich legacy is preserved while embracing modernisation and growth. Their focus on innovation, customer satisfaction, and sustainability has solidified PNG Jewellers as a leader in the jewellery industry.
As a socially responsible brand, PNG Jewellers actively contributes to society through initiatives such as adopting villages for skill development, enhancing infrastructure, supporting cultural programs, and providing aid during natural disasters like the COVID-19 pandemic. The company also takes pride in crafting jewellery for iconic temples, including Shrimant Dagadusheth Halwai Ganpati and Mahalaxmi Temple in Mumbai.
In September 2024, PNG Jewellers became a publicly listed company, with its IPO debuting at a 74% premium. The company continues to build on its legacy with 60%+ repeat buyers and over one million customers served annually.
Medianew4u.com caught up with Hemant Chavaan, Head- Marketing, E-commerce and CSR, PNG Jewellers
Q. From a marketing perspective what are going to be the focus areas of PNG Jewellers in 2025?
Besides the usual activities of collection launches and campaign releases, there are a lot of developments happening in the industry on product design, indicating high chances of consumer demand shifting towards lightweight jewellery.
Thus, our team should be prepared to reform marketing for such products accordingly. E-commerce will achieve a better market share in 2025 in terms of buying pattern and frequency, while the budget will still depend largely on the gold rate.
Q. Does PNG Jewellers expect to see ad spends rise in 2025 for the jewellery sector and for the company? Will most of the ad spend happen in the lead up to and during the festive season?
Indeed, the ad spends will happen during festive season mostly during Diwali and Gudi Padwa, with both being important festivals in the state and the country at large to buy gold. Besides, we will also have a Mangalsutra Mahotsav this year.
Q. Could you shed light on how PNG Jewellers’ gameplan of blending traditional brand values with contemporary marketing strategies will work in 2025?
In the jewellery sector, having the legacy of over 192 years helps to gain trust sooner, as generations of people know that we have been selling pure gold for its right value. Hence, a heritage brand, which has evolved around its consumers, involves strategies that connect their current target audience with an intuitive product marketing mix.
Q. Which are going to be key markets and TGs that PNG Jewellers will target for growth?
Our core target audience are women in the 28-35 years age bracket, but our secondary audience comprise both women and men between 40 and 60 years of age.
We will keep targetting the same groups because of their significant requirements and spending capacity on gold. We are also targetting first jobbers and the overall young jewellery buyers who prefer gold for their investment needs.
Q. How has PNG Jewellers looked to evolve its brand appeal to resonate with Gen Z and millennials while maintaining its heritage?
Millennials are now in the same age group that we are targetting. They come to us for pure gold and bridal jewellery. Most of the millennial crowd do shop for their weddings from us, as since childhood, they have seen their elders imbibe our products in their family heritage, thus shaping preferences for younger prospective consumers.
Appealing to the Gen Z audience requires a strategy away from quintessential gold bridal jewellery that the brand is famous for. Our sub-brand, ‘Litestyle’, offers trendier, lightweight, and affordable jewellery that suit Gen Z tastes. We also aim to design few schemes which will help Gen Z to easily invest in gold with us.
Q. This year the company announced a partnership with World Pickleball League. How important will sports be as a marketing vehicle in 2025?
Sports have been at the heart of PNG Jewellers, just like music. We have sponsored many music events and we look forward to sponsoring this game, as this would be another great opportunity to connect with Gen Z and the young crowd of India.
Participating in such a prestigious property gives an edge to our product mix. We could design jewellery that resonates to the games and flaunt our craftsmanship that has such a range from traditional to absolutely trendy sportswear as well.
Q. Is Bollywood going to be an important marketing vehicle in 2025? Kindly elaborate.
Of course, as Bollywood has been an integral part of India’s population. Harnessing the influence of Bollywood artistes helps us get a great connect with our consumer. It also helps in putting the right personality for the brand representation amongst consumers, which eventually helps in increasing brand recall.
Q. What role is AI playing for the company in designing collections like Katha and Saptam?
The scope of design with artificial intelligence is still at a stage of experimentation with PNG Jewellers. We are working on the same and in the coming years, will be able to share information on the progress reflecting in design diversity.
Q. Hyper-personalisation is going to be an important theme in 2025. What are going to be the plans of PNG Jewellers in this regard?
For PNG, it has always been about hyper-personalisation. We have always considered our consumers as the extended family of brands and vis-a-vis. Our sales force directly talks to end-consumers daily and drive this segment brilliantly.
They call them personally, visit them at their houses with the shortlisted/new collections, and also invite consumers for various events at the store such as ‘Haldi Kunku’ in Sankrit, Ganpati festival, Diwali Faral, etc.
Q. What can other heritage brands learn from PNG Jewellers’ e-commerce journey?
Heritage brands can learn to balance tradition with modern tech. PNG Jewellers has successfully kept the trust of our offline customers intact while going digital and succeeded in generating a great offline buying experience with our own D2C wing.
For example, our direct-to-consumer digital channel provides the same price offering in offline and online stores. Over the years, we have always focused on customer needs using data to gauge their decisions, thus making shopping delightful across online and offline platforms.
Q. While PNG Jewellers has looked to innovate in the e-commerce realm, are physical stores more important because women want to try on what they are buying?
Both segments are important for consumers with varying needs. Physical stores let women try and connect with the jewellery. E-commerce makes shopping easy and reaches more people.
Our website and marketplaces such as Amazon, AJIO, and TATA CLiQ Fashion help us serve customers beyond store locations. PNG blends both for the best customer experience.
