Edible oil makers are gearing up to replicate the sachet revolution in the shampoo market in the 1990s, which increased the product's penetration in rural and semi-urban areas. Following in the foot steps of Bunge India, owner of Dalda vanaspati, which introduced sachets for its blended edible oil brand, market leader Adani Wilmar plans to roll out Rs 5 sachets of Fortune, its edible oil brand, in a couple of months.
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To achieve the target, the company will go in for inorganic growth and this will be partly funded by the proposed Rs 400 crore (Rs 4 billion) rights issue. It has started scouting for acquisitions in hair colour business in the developing markets.
The first 10 months of this calendar year saw the launch of 251 new products (223 variants and 28 brands) against 191 (173 variants and 18 brands) in the same period last year, according to a study by research firm IMRB.
Multinational snack maker FritoLay has Indianised its potato chips brand Lay's in the wake of competition by new entrants like ITC's Bingo. As part of its rebranding exercise, FritoLay has introduced Lay's Chaat street, India's Mint Mischief and Wafer Style based on consumer insights.
After achieving high levels of market penetration, the Rs 8,800 crore (Rs 88 billion) detergents industry is now banking on growth through high-value products and innovation. Innovation in the laundry care industry is possible through four ways, according to Sudhanshu Vats, category head, home care, Hindustan Unilever (HUL).
If you thought that international cable television majors such as Liberty Media and Comcast Corporation will line up to invest in the Indian cable TV industry after the government's proposal to allow 74 per cent foreign equity in cable, think again. The buzz is that the government is in a mood to raise the foreign equity bar for the cable industry from the current 49 per cent to 74 per cent.
Chocolate-lovers may soon find their chocolate dearer if the problems plaguing the industry continue. Raw material costs have risen by more than 20 per cent in the last 10 months.
HUL registered a growth of 9.67 per cent in ice-cream sales for the quarter ended September 30, 2007 to Rs 33.80 crore (Rs 338 million) from Rs 37.07 crore (Rs 370.7 million) for same period last year. The companies also saw a growth in cold-chain infrastructure and a shift in their marketing strategy has worked to their advantage.
A dipstick survey of a bunch of small shops in Mumbai shows that the growth in their sales this season has been much less: under 15 per cent compared to 30 per cent in the previous years. "The malls have taken away our customers. They have a larger a variety of products which they are able to push through a plethora of schemes and very visible display," said Rajesh Shah, the owner of a kirana store in Andheri.
The lure of FMCGs has faded over the years with the rise of consultancy firms, foreign banks and software companies, according to the Campus Recruiter Index, an annual survey by research agency AC Nielsen tracking students' perception of recruiting companies on campuses.
Coca-Cola and Pepsi, which have triggered books and case studies on the cola war, are ready to battle each other on a new turf in India: fruit drinks. Pepsi is said to be ready with Tropicana Twister, an orange drink, to take on Coca-Cola's Minute Maid, which debuted in India in February and went national in May.
Umkal plans to set up 10 more hospitals in and around Gurgaon.
The Sweden-based cosmetics company Oriflame is set to introduce 150 more products in India by next year, as competition among direct-selling companies in India rises with the entry of more multi-national players.
Britannia, which holds over 38 per cent of the market in value terms, is investing Rs 130 crore (Rs 1.3 billion) to increase its capacity, 433,000 tonnes of biscuit last year, by 20,000 tonnes.The move is designed to wrest market leadership in volume terms as well, a position now held by rival Parle.
Hindustan Unilever already has operations across the world. It is therefore consistently improving its product mix to introduce premium variants in its product portfolio. In the April-June quarter, the company launched premium products.
Hindustan Unilever is associating with small-format retail through its Super Value Store, Dabur with Parivaar and Marico with Mera. At many shops, the counter has been modified into a U or L shape so that the shopper can move and pick items.
The two groups have another JV, Wadia BSN, set up in 1996 to launch Groupe Danone's products from its global portfolio. However, nothing has been launched through the JV till date and Danone is in negotiations with the Wadias to dissolve the JV.
Suddenly, brand activation is big business for India's Rs 300 crore (Rs 3 billion) FM radio industry.
Subhash Chandra making headlines is no longer news. For some years now it has been for his no-holds-barred feud with the Board for Control of Cricket in India.
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