The Hindu Business Line : Heal brand of ayurveda products to get `big' retail push

HEAL, a brand of products made by the Arya Vaidya Pharmacy (AVP), is getting a big retail push. Barring Kerala, this brand has so far been available only in AVP outlets.

From next month, it will be available in Tamil Nadu and later in the rest of the South. Speaking to Business Line, Mr Devidas Varier, Director, Heal Ayurveda Pharmacy Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of the Coimbatore-based AVP, said a range of OTC products including soap, pain balm, herbal honey (to deal with bronchial problems), Sudantakanti toothpowder and Rasudi, a blood purifier that can be mixed in water, would be launched in Tamil Nadu through the Chennai-based Kriya FMCG Distributors Pvt Ltd. This would ensure widespread presence for the brand in grocery and departmental stores, pharmacies and petty shops, Mr Varier said.

The Rs 60-lakh brand hopes to double its sales within a year of the launch.

The company will focus on below-the-line promotions to push the brand in the first phase, after which it may look at advertising in the electronic media, Mr Varier said. For now, Heal will focus on cities, he added.

According to Mr Varier, the products are competitively priced. For instance, the 12 gm pain balm will retail for Rs 17, whereas a 10 gm pain balm sells for around Rs 16, he said.

The soap is priced at Rs 16.50 for a 75 gm bar. Some other products including one to control obesity and a health supplement for children are also being launched. These will be marketed ethically, and through non-Ayurvedic doctors as well, Mr Varier said.

A range of cosmetics is being tested in AVP's R&D facilities and may be launched later under the Heal brand, he added.

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