These six brands were launched while the pandemic still had its grip on the world. Let’s see how they have fared so far…
New Delhi: According to data released by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), a whopping 12,930 companies across India shut down operations in 2020-2021.The pandemic was truly a tough time for businesses. Interestingly, while businesses were struggling to survive, there are some companies that were born during the crisis. Here’s a list of five such companies (in alphabetical order) that were either launched right in the middle of the pandemic or while the effects still lasted.
- Bevzilla by Bevzilla Pvt. Ltd.
Launched in September 2020 by Anurag Chabbra and Divisha Chabbra, Bevzilla is a beverage brand that aims to bring instant products to the customers such as coffee and milkshake cubes. In the last year, the brand has managed to achieve 10 times growth. In January 2022, the brand clocked a revenue of Rs 22 lakh and by January 2023, it had touched Rs 2.2 crore, said Anurag Chabbra, co-founder, Bevzilla in an interaction with IndiaRetailing.
The brand claims to be a bestseller on Amazon among other marketplaces, thus becoming an online competitor of legacy brands like Nestle. The brand has also been bestowed with the MSME award for being at the forefront of innovation in the beverage category.
The brand has been growing since inception and plans to make a prominent space for itself in the offline market as well.
- Happier by Happier Life Pvt. Ltd.
Launched in April 2022 by Aakriti Suri, a skincare blogger from New York, Happier is a brand inspired by superfoods. The beauty and wellness brand focused on creating a range of products that are both natural and science-based.
The brand first launched in India and gradually expanded to UAE within the first year of its launch. It also plans to enter the UK market soon, said Suri, founder, Happier in an interaction with IndiaRetailing.
The self-funded brand is at a nascent stage but since its inception, the brand has managed to achieve bestseller status in UAE and an Amazon certification, added Suri.
However, in the initial days Suri found it difficult to find a manufacturer who understood the brand’s vision. Eventually, she found an organic manufacturer from Himachal Pradesh and there has been no looking back since then.
Along with its website and other e-commerce sites, the brand is also present in offline retail stores like Relay Stores, Foodhall, Dorabjees, and Nature’s Basket.
Protouch by Skintouch Beauty Pvt. Ltd.
Launched in November 2021 by Tanisha Lakhani, Protouch is a lifestyle brand that offers more than 10 stock-keeping units (SKUs)in four categories: haircare, facecare, oralcare and lipcare.
The bootstrapped company plans to add more products to its offerings and enhance customer experience by adding new features to the website to increase visibility and market share in India as well as internationally in the coming years, said Tanisha Lakhani, founder, Protouch in an interaction with IndiaRetailing. The brand already has 50,000 customers.
Renee Cosmetics by Renee Cosmetics Pvt. Ltd.
Launched in September 2020 by Priyank Shah, Aashka Goradia Goble and Ashutosh Valani, Renee Cosmetics is a D2C beauty brand. With over 250 products launched in various categories sincetwo years of its inception, the brand claims all of its products are FDA-approved.
In the financial year 2022-23, the sales increased almost three times as compared to financial year 2021-22. The level of acceptance of the brand is reflected in its annual recurring revenue (ARR) which is Rs 100 crore.
The brand is available on all major e-commerce platforms such as Amazon, Flipkart, Nykaa, and Myntra among others along with 1,000 shop-in-shops and kiosks in malls, airports, multi-brand outlets in modern trade like Shoppers Stop and more.
It also has opened its exclusive outlets in Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Lucknow. The brand will soon enter Amritsar as well, said Priyank Shah, co-founder, Renee Cosmetics in an February 2023 interview with IndiaRetailing. Read more about it here. There are plans for continuous online and offline expansion across all tier 1, 2 and 3 cities, added Shah.
The Ayurveda Co. (T.A.C) by Ke Healthcare Pvt. Ltd.
Launched in July 2021 by Param Bhargava, The Ayurveda Co. (T.A.C) is an Ayurvedic lifestyle brand started with a seed investment from Azim Premji’s Wipro Consumer Care. “The brand has registered a top-line growth of 500% March 2022 to October 2022,” said Bhargava founder, The Ayurveda Co. in an interaction with IndiaRetailing.
Within just a few months of its inception, the brand has been honoured with several accolades and awards.
“The brand started with being an online-first brand but now, it has expanded offline as well with 20 Exclusive Brand Outlets/kiosks in malls,” added Bhargava.
Type Beauty by Type Beautyinc Pvt. Ltd.
Launched in May 2022 by Ananya Kapur, Type Beauty is a makeup and cosmetic brand. The brand offers a range of makeup products that also offer skincare.
As an emerging brand that was launched in the middle of a pandemic, the brand had set a modest target of selling 200 units every month, which it was able to achieve. Encouraged by the growing response, the brand now aims to sell 1,000 units sales per month. Since the launch, the brand has clocked 15% to 20% increase in its revenues.
The family-owned business is in talks with a few e-commerce platforms for collaboration and also plans to launch five new product categories. The brand is also further planning to expand internationally, said Ananya Kapur, founder, Type Beauty in an earlier interaction with IndiaRetailing.
