When you first heard the home appliance brand Russell Taylors, you might assume it’s an imported brand from the UK or the USA, given its Western-sounding name. Then you might question how they manage to offer products at such competitive prices compared to other international brands.
If curiosity has piqued your interest, here’s the truth: Russell Taylors is, indeed, a local brand, founded around 10 years ago by a young Malaysian named Satish Kumar Raguchandran. This is the story of Russell Taylors’ founder:
Russell Taylors was founded by Satish Raguchandran in his early 30s
Russell Taylors is a local home appliance brand that provides cost-effective solutions without compromising on quality. Founded by Satish Raguchandran in 2016, the brand aimed to revolutionize and offer comprehensive solutions in the online home appliance market.
The brand initially operated as a one-man show, with Satish handling everything independently. Coming from a chemical engineering background, he visited suppliers and factories in China, brought the items to Malaysia, navigated the SIRIM process, unloaded shipments at Lazada warehouses, designed instruction manuals and packaging, and even managed customer service.
In fact, Satish created WhatsApp and Facebook groups for Russell Taylors consumers, where he personally addressed customer inquiries.
In the early days, he did not even have a physical store
Ensuring high-quality goods before reaching the mass market was a priority for Satish. Operating on a limited budget, the company lacked a market research strategy group, a design and engineering team, or a physical store.
Despite these challenges and the competition from established e-commerce brands, Satish successfully grew the business on Lazada Malaysia, guided by Lazada University from product listings to advanced business analytics. He also seized the opportunity presented by the Digital Free Trade Zone (DFTZ) establishment between Malaysia and Chinese billionaire Jack Ma.
Russell Taylors specializes in various home appliances, importing and rebranding wholesale home appliances from China, and distributing exclusively through e-commerce. In just a few years, the company’s revenue has grown by an impressive 50%.
The business generated revenue of RM49 million in 2021 alone
Today, Russell Taylors has become a leading online home appliances brand and a preferred consumer choice. The business expanded into the retail market in 2020, generating a total revenue of RM49 million in 2021.
Satish aspires to build Russell Taylors into a global brand through product quality, efficient customer service, and a diverse range of innovative products. The company has a footprint in the UK, Singapore, and Thailand, with potential plans to enter other Asian markets, including Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam.
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