• Investment World
• eWorld
• Catalyst
• Mentor
• Life
• Canvas
• Praxis
• Urban Pulse
• Brand Quest

Purvita Chatterjee

"At the moment, we are learning and trying to understand these markets. Once we feel these brands have been accepted, we will make it a permanent feature in Bimaru States," said Mr Press.

Mumbai , Sept. 18

IN a bid to make rural inroads, Godrej Consumer Products Ltd (GCPL) has decided to introduce small unit packs of its soap brands in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

Introducing its three power brands — Cinthol, Fair Glow and Godrej No. 1 — in 50-gm SKUs (stock keeping units), Godrej is attempting to reach out to the poor masses in these States. The price of these brands has been pegged between Rs 5 and Rs 4.

Mr Hoshi Press, Executive Director & President, GCPL, told Business Line, "We have decided to target the States with low per capita incomes through our small unit packs. This will be a great opportunity to grow since consumption levels of soap are still low in these States. In fact, these small pack sizes will not be made available nationally and are meant specifically for these three Bimaru States." .

However, only certain variants of its three soap brands will be made available. Cinthol Lime Fresh and Godrej No.1 ayurvedic and rose and sandal variants will be sold as low-priced SKUs in these parts. While the basic Fair Glow Soap will be sold as low-priced SKUs in these States, the company may not do so with the saffron variant. "We expect these brands to get a boost and help make inroads for the company into these States," said Mr Press.

Using local radio stations already prevalent in these parts, GCPL hopes to reach out to the locals through AIR. "We will be using radio as a medium to reach out to the local people in their language," he added.

By pushing its three soap brands into the interiors of these States, Godrej hopes to build volumes for its power brands. "At the moment, we are learning and trying to understand these markets. Once we feel these brands have been accepted, we will make it a permanent feature in these States," said Mr Press.

In the recent past, HLL also introduced Rs 2 packs of 50 gm of its Lifebuoy Active Red variant to build volumes in the sluggish FMCG industry.

In 2002-03, toilet soaps accounted for 58 per cent of GCPL's branded sales. Sales in this category grew by 9 per cent over 2001-02. The company's soap brands grew at 11 per cent in volume and 9 per cent by value in 2002-03.

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication

Stories in this Section
Apollo launches online lottery in Kerala

Copyright © 2003, The Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu Business Line