The Saudi Arabia-based Al Batterjee Group, a diversified business group with an annual turnover of Rs 800 crore (Rs 8 billion), plans to set up a manufacturing plant for its Nunu range of babycare products in south India.
The group has recently started marketing the products in south India through its associates, Valy Trading Corporation, based in Kochi.
This apart, the group had identified investment areas and tied up for Rs 620 crore (Rs 6.2 billion) joint ventures with various Indian companies.
Addressing a press conference, Sohail Fayyad, managing director, Al Batterjee, said the group planned to invest Rs 100 crore (Rs 1 billion) for the new venture and the location would be decided within the next three months.
The unit will be set up in association with the Valy group and production will start by July 2008. The Saudi group has targeted to achieve Rs 20 crore (Rs 200 million) sales in India by March 2008 through distributing imported
Nunu products, initially in the south Indian states. He said the group expected 25 per cent annual growth for baby care products in India
and foresee a high market potential in the Indian market.
Meanwhile, the group has signed an MoU with Lloyd Steel India for manufacturing various steel products. The Rs 320-crore (Rs 3.2 billion) venture is expected to bring the Batterjee group in the forefront of Saudi steel industry. It also has another MoU with Mumbai-based Unitech Group for logistics operations in Saudi Arabia.
The project plans to introduce 200 trucks/trailers initially and then scale up the operation, he added. The venture is expected to have an investment to the tune of Rs 200 crore (Rs 2 billion).
Al Batterjee has marketing network in 37 countries and the Nunu brand of babycare products include shampoo, powder, soaps and lotions. The brand currently holds 25 per cent of the entire Gulf market for babycare products.
He also said that in India the market was growing fast and the current total annual turnover was more than Rs 200 crore.
