Seven years after an attempt to sell its shampoos and bathing bars in retail outlets fell through, homeopathic healthcare company Dr Batra’s Healthcare has started its second inning.

“We were doing well in Bangalore and Pune at that time. But there was a rumour that Korean personal care companies were coming, and incumbent multi-nationals slashed prices. So we had to pull out,” says Founder and Chairman Mukesh Batra. With a better brand value now, he says the time is right for venturing out.

Batra hopes to push sales of its skin- and hair-care products by placing them in over 4,000 retail outlets by the end of April. Although its 141 homeopathic clinics in the country act as its points of sale, the renewed effort is to extend the reach of the brand.

The four-month-old retail drive has put Dr Batra’s products in over 600 stores including outlets of Health & Glow and Heritage in Chennai, Bangalore, and Hyderabad as of now. In Chennai alone, it is available in 200 stores.

With the current expansion, Dr Batra’s hopes to touch ₹35 crore in this segment by the end of the current financial year.

Homeopathic dermatology clinics constitute the core business and about 75 per cent of its 2012-13 revenue of ₹150 crore was from this segment.

In 2013-14, about 50 clinics will be added, Batra said. The company will also expand Aesthetic Studios, its special clinic for hair transplantation and minor plastic surgeries to 14 in 2014-15.

Batra says his shampoos command a slight premium over the average price in the hair-care market, but being a player in the natural and therapeutic shampoo space, a “cut of 10 per cent in price above other products is only slightly higher.”

Batra adds that exclusive retail outlets will be considered in two years after the company has a wider portfolio. “

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