Dutch consumer electronics firm Philips today said it will enhance the presence of its ‘Avent’ brand of baby-feeding products in India as a part of its plan to tap the growing Rs 2,800 crore mother and baby care market in the country.
The company is looking to expand the retail availability of Avent, which is currently available at Mahindra & Mahindra group’s specialised mother and child products retail chain, ‘Mom & Me’, and Lifestyle stores in India.
The company, which bought UK-based Avent in 2006 for 460 million pounds, had launched the brand in India last year and is looking at intensifying brand awareness initiatives.
"We are focusing on awareness of the category and driving preference for the brand. Philips Avent is the No.1 brand in markets like UK. We would like to create the same brand equity and be the evangelists in India as well," Philips India Consumer Lifestyle Director Marketing (Personal Care and Health and Wellness) Aarushi Agarwal told PTI.
The company said it will go ahead with educating about the products, professional recommendation and other in-store activities in India.
Under the brand, the company sells feeding bottles, teethers, breast pads, niplette, microwave steam steriliser, pacifiers, small mixers among others.
Agarwal said Philips is looking at other modern retail stores apart from ‘Mom & Me’ and Lifestyle to sell the brand.
She said selling the products in India has been a challenge due to low awareness and penetration, low visible differentiation and availability of local and imported products through the grey market.
"In India, the mother and childcare category was largely untapped and promised great potential. Hence, realising the opportunity, Philips forayed into the mother and childcare category in India," Agarwal added.
The company said it had decided to enter the mother and childcare space as a part of its global strategy to focus on the health and well-being businesses.
Source : Economic Times
