It started more than ten years ago, when expats from North America and Europe taking up corporate appointments in India wanted help in relocating themselves and their families in an alien country. What began as a cottage industry helping common friends or acquaintances is now a Rs 500 crore (US$120 mn) industry growing in double digits. From being a one-person show, the industry has now got corporatised with names such as Crown Worldwide, Writers Corporation and Ikan Relocation, among others.

While initially their target customers were expats moving to India, a great chunk of their growth now comes from returning Indian nationals who want to settle back in their homeland. From automakers such as GM and Hyundai to IT companies like IBM and Accenture, everyone is bringing in Indian managers from abroad and most rely on these relocation agencies to smoothen the relocation exercise for their executives.

Besides expat migrations, there is an emerging trend where Indian nationals who have been working abroad are being relocated to India by multinational corporations. With a boom in sectors like IT, ITES, pharmaceuticals and manufacturing, Indian nationals are returning to India in big numbers, giving a fillip to the relocation industry.

Besides providing the routine service of packing and moving household items, relocation companies now offer a host of services from home hunting to cross-cultural orientation, finding schools for their kids to forming social networks for the spouses. MNCs now hire these companies, shedding some of the workload of their HR managers, especially when it comes to Indian expats’ relocation.