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Our Bureau

Bangalore April 20 Wipro Ltd claimed on Friday that Santoor has become India's third largest soap brand by value, overtaking Breeze in the March quarter.

Santoor, with an estimated brand value exceeding Rs 500 crore, trails Lifebuoy and Lux, said Mr Vineet Agrawal, President of Wipro Consumer Care and Lighting.

Santoor registered 40 per cent growth in the quarter ended March, while the growth for the year stood at 29 per cent. Santoor accounts for 40 per cent of Wipro Consumer Care's revenues.

For the fiscal gone by, the consumer care and lighting business grew 36 per cent to Rs 818 crore while profit before income tax (PBIT) stood at Rs 100 crore, a growth of 25 per cent.

For the quarter ended March, it recorded revenues of Rs 228 crore and PBIT of Rs 27 crore.

Mr Agrawal said that the successful new rollouts during the year included Santoor White soap - product and perfume, Santoor Hand Wash (in two perfume variants) and Wipro Sweet & Healthy, a low-calorie sweetener currently being test marketed in Bangalore and Andhra Pradesh.

"We will watch the performance of the sweetener for the next few quarters before taking it to other markets," he said.

"The diaper and CFL (compact fluoroscent lamp) business too grew well during the year," he added.

Wipro, which started manufacturing chairs at its Chennai facility during the quarter, said that its furniture business also grew well during the quarter.

"We expect to sustain our growth momentum, driven by strong demand for furniture and lighting," Mr Agarwal said.

More Stories on : Brands | Soaps & Detergents | Personal Products | Wipro Ltd

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