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Purvita Chatterjee

To enter high end of the cookies segment

Mumbai , Aug. 16

Upgrading its Hide & Seek brand of chocolate chip cookies to tap the super premium segment, Parle Products has introduced a new variant — Milano. Pitting its new offering against the international cookie brands already present in the market, this is the biscuits major's first attempt to enter the super premium cookies segment.

Mr Shalin Desai, Senior Brand Manager, Parle Products, told Business Line, "We have introduced a new premium variant and are attempting to get into the high-end of the cookie segment which is at present dominated by international brands.''

Priced at Rs 25 for 100 gms, Hide & Seek's Milano brand is pegged at a Rs 10 premium to its existing brand in the market. "Hide & Seek will remain the focal brand for us and the variant is an upgraded version of the existing brand. This is our first attempt to tap into the super premium segment in cookies,'' Mr Desai said.

International brands

While there are international cookie brands such as Bradman and Nobisco's Chips Ahoy, Indian brands such as Britannia's Pure Magic have also been present in a negligible super premium cookies market. "There has been no major brand in this segment and at present we are studying the potential of this almost non-existent market through the launch of Milano, '' Mr Desai said.

In fact, Britannia's Pure Magic chocolate cookies have been present in the market for the past couple of years but there have been no attempts to grow the category. Admits an official at Britannia Industries, "The market is too small in the super premium segment and no one has really taken the trouble to do anything exciting in this market.''

Apart from Britannia, ITC too has made a foray through its brand of Dark Fantasy, a cream-based Chocolate cookie.

In the past Hide & Seek was stretched to variants such as orange, mint and coffee. It even sported cashew-badam and butter variant, all of which have been subsequently withdrawn. The brand has now been limited as a chocolate chip cookie and its upgraded version of Milano is expected to drive some growth in the super premium segment. "We believe we are offering a new chocolate delivery and experience through Hide & Seek's Milano variant,'' says Mr Desai, to justify the premium pricing for the brand.

So while Hide & Seek would continue to retail at Rs 15 for 100 gms, Hide & Seek's Milano consumers would have to pay Rs 25 for 100 gms to get a new `chocolate experience' from their cookies.

More Stories on : Brands | Dairy & Dairy Products

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