The Hindu Business Line : Godfrey to roll out new-look cigarette pack in Delhi

GODFREY Phillips India, the second largest manufacturer of cigarettes in the country, has given a new look to the packaging of its Red & White brand of cigarettes. After recently test marketing its new pack in Chandigarh, the company on Monday announced the rollout of its Red & White cigarettes in a new look pack for the National Capital region. The pack also sports a bar code to improve traceability. The new pack has been designed by Phillip Morris, with which the company has a technical collaboration agreement.

Customers in Delhi would continue to get Red &White cigarettes with the same taste and at the same price of Rs 14.50 for a pack of 10, Mr Amrish R. Anand, Executive Vice-President — Marketing & Sales, Godfrey Phillips India, told presspersons here.

So what has prompted the change to a new look pack, which now has a dominating presence of white shade? "The main reason is to bring freshness to the brand in tune with the changing times," Mr Anand said.

The company officials said that the roll out of Red & White in a new look pack is expected to bolster its market share by 3.5 per cent in the current year. Sales of Red & White cigarettes have grown by 6.6 per cent so far in volume terms this year.

Mr Anand claimed that the company's sales volume growth of 7 per cent up to January is far in excess of the 2.5 per cent growth recorded by the industry in this period.

After New Delhi, the company plans to undertake similar rollout for Red & White cigarettes in Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan in the next few months.

According to Mr Bhisham Wadhera, Senior Vice-President — Sales, the primary objective behind the launch of a new pack is to "excite existing customers of the Red & White brand." He held that the launch would also give an opportunity for customers who are using competition brands to "reassess" Red & White cigarettes.

On the performance of `Jaisalmer,' which is a premium offering from GPI, company officials maintained that the recently launched brand is eating into competition.

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Godfrey to roll out new-look cigarette pack in Delhi