According to '2006 ACNielsen Retail Audit' report released on Wednesday, the country's pen market registered an impressive growth of 82 per cent in sales between July 2005 and April this year, riding on the wave of an exponential retail market expansion.
According to the study conducted by global research firm ACNielsen, the product is currently present in about 11 lakh stores across urban India, which represents a distribution growth of 23 per cent in the period under review.
Pen sales peaked in the months of February and March owing to exam season and touched maximum in the last 11 months, the report said.
Besides examination season and expanded distribution network, competitive pricing and product innovation have also contributed to the surge in the sales of writing instruments.
"There is a consistent month-on-month growth in the writing instruments industry fuelled by competitive pricing and product innovation. Today, one can buy a gel pen for Rs 2 and can choose from a wide variety of pens - with easy grip to water-proof ink," Anmol Sherpa, associate director, client services, ACNielsen said.
"The pen market previously suffered from lack of organised information on the market size or market shares of various players, since most players are not listed companies and distribution was mostly limited to stationary stores," Sherpa added.
