Homegrown Brands Rule the Roost
Homegrown brands dominated India’s packaged food industry in 2015 – according to list released by Euromonitor International on May 25 – giving multinational companies like Mondelez, Nestle and Pepsico a run for their money.
The report says domestic firms increased distribution, penetrated into rural India and launched smaller packs at lower price points. They also sell the same products in a range of sizes, giving consumers more options when it comes to buying them, thereby increasing sales.
According to Euromonitor, the Indian packaged foods market stood at Rs 2,572 billion last calendar, up about 15 per cent from Rs 2,232 billion in 2014.
The shares, by retail sales value, captures data which include sale of fresh, packaged and prepared foods for home preparation and consumption.
Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation
Amul continued to top the packaged foods market with 7.2 per cent retail value share last calendar. Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) – seller of Amul products like cheese, milk, ice-cream and butter – reported a turnover of Rs 23,000 crore for 2015-16, an increase of 11 per cent over the previous year.
“We’ve followed an umbrella branding strategy, better prices, natural ingredients, and don’t spend much on marketing, celebrity associations, trade discounting, and so on. We don’t waste assets on building and maintaining too many brands,” GCMMF Managing Director RS Sodhi was quoted by The Economic Times as saying.
Retail Value: 7.2%
Mother Dairy
Another brand which captured India’s imagination (and taste buds) is Mother Dairy. Mother Dairy refocused on deeper localization of its products – for example, the brand went regional with the launch of nolen gur (palm jiggery) ice cream in Kolkata – a flavor which has so far been restricted to local players only. The brand is responding to changing tastes of the consumer.
The country’s leading milk supplier is now hoping to cross Rs 10,000 crore in turnover over the next three years on rising demand for dairy products as well as fresh and processed fruits and vegetables.
Mother Dairy, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), has diversified portfolio with presence in dairy products, edible oil, fruits and vegetables (fresh as well as frozen) and pulses.
The firm sells processed food products like juices and ready to cook products under the brand name Safal and also has presence in edible oil segment under the brand name Dhara.
Retail Value: 3.70%
Britannia
The company is a market leader in baked goods and biscuits and focuses on launching more innovative products along with health and wellness products to maintain its leadership position.
Britannia is a leading food company in India with over Rs 8500 crores in revenue, delivering products in over 5 categories through 4.2 million retail outlets to more than half the Indian population. The company’s core emphasis across portfolios is on healthy, fresh and delicious food and it is the First Zero Trans-fat Company in India. 50 per cent of Britannia’s product portfolio is enriched with micro-nutrients.
Britannia’s products are also delivered through the Britannia Nutrition Foundation to combat malnutrition among underprivileged children.
According to a separate Euromonitor International report, the company plans to concentrate on increased distribution in rural areas in order to maintain its leadership in bakery, especially in biscuits category.
Retail Value: 3.70%
Ruchi Soya
Ruchi Soya is one of India’s largest marketer of healthier edible oils, soya food, premium table spread, vanaspati and bakery fats. It is also the highest exporter of soya meal, lecithin and other food ingredients from India. Established in 1986, Ruchi Soya has emerged as an integrated player, from farm to fork with secured access to oil palm plantations in India and other key regions of the world. Ruchi soya has access with exclusive oil procurement rights to over two lakh hectares of land in India with a potential of oil palm cultivation.
The Company has focused on continuous expansion across business verticals to consolidate and sustain its industry leadership. Over the years the Ruchi group has metamorphosed from a trader to a manufacturer & marketer and Ruchi Soya is now a company with a strong portfolio of brands viz. Nutrela, Mahakosh, Sunrich, Ruchi Gold & Ruchi No.1.
Over the last three years the company’s performance has been very good in the packaged food category where it has managed to achieve double digit volume growth. Company officials are bullish on the growth, and are confident that by 2020 Ruchi Soya will be the second largest packaged food company in the country.
Retail Value: 3.6%
Parle
Parle products has been one of India’s largest manufacturers of biscuits and confectionary for over 80 years now. Many Parle products are leaders in their category – Parle G being the highest sold biscuit in the world – and have won high acclaim in the Monde selection since 1971.
Parle’s market share is 40 per cent in the biscuit category and 15 per cent in the confectionary category. Currently, Parle Products has over 33,00,000 distribution outlets.
Apart from factories in Mumbai and Bangalore, the brand has factories in Bahadurgarh, Haryana and Neemrana in Rajasthan. These are the largest biscuit and confectionary plants in the country. Additionally, Parle Products also has 10 manufacturing units of its own and 75 manufacturing units on contract.
The company has an in-depth understanding of the Indian consumer’s psyche, which has helped it develop a marketing philosophy that reflects the needs of the Indian masses. Their products are developed keeping both health and taste in mind and the ‘value-for-money’ positioning allows people from all classes and age groups to buy the products.
Retail Value: 3.2%
