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Purvita Chatterjee

Mumbai , Jan. 8

Johnson & Johnson (J&J) expects its sanpro business to grow at 25 per cent this year. The market leader in the Rs 569-crore sanpro category, which has been straddling both the mass and premium end of the market, also believes in pricing which is key to growing the category in the country.

Ms Tina Mistry, GM, Woman's Health, J&J, says, "J&J has been driving category growth for the past 10 years. The first significant step towards this was the launch of Stayfree Secure in 1998, which exploded the sanitary napkin market. Stayfree Secure was launched at Rs 20 while existing sanitary napkins at that time were 2-3 times its price.''

Recently J&J has re-launched Stayfree Secure, with the product undergoing a major revamp. Besides, the company has also beefed up its premium offerings by introducing Stayfree Drymax Ultrathins.

Explaining J&J strategy for its sanpro division, Ms Mistry adds, "Given the low usage levels, the market can be expected to continue to grow between 15-20 per cent in the coming years. The biggest role has been in driving demand through a number of initiatives designed to educate consumers. Along with this there is a continued effort to drive product innovation, while keeping the prices affordable.''

Apart from using mass media, the company has been initiating awareness on sanitary health and hygiene through mass consumer contact programmes. J&J is the volume and value market leader with October shares at 56.9 per cent and 45.75 per cent, respectively. Its nearest competitor is P&G whose October shares stood at 28 per cent and 43.2 per cent, respectively.

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J&J drive to grow sanpro biz

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