Godrej Consumer Products Ltd (GCPL) on Monday announced its foray into the air care category with a new brand, ‘aer’, signalling its re-entry into the segment. It had exited in 2010. The company was selling air freshener brand, Ambi Pur, through a joint venture with US-based Sara Lee. The 15-year-old partnership ended in 2010, when Sara Lee sold its personal care business to Procter & Gamble.
Aiming to strengthen its home care portfolio with this launch, the company said it already had leadership position in household insecticides and hair colours.
Mr Sunil Kataria, Executive Vice President, Marketing and Sales, GCPL, said, “Air care is an exciting category. The Rs 300-crore market is witnessing growth in excess of 20 per cent a year.”
The air freshener is available for both cars and homes in three variants priced between Rs 110 and Rs 299.
Targeting 29 metros, Godrej said it would launch ‘aer’ with an extensive communication campaign that includes a television commercial, digital media promotion and on-ground consumer initiatives.
The company aims to increase in-store visibility and would be tapping in the modern trade, traditional retail and car accessory distribution channel.
“Innovations like this (‘aer’) could make a major difference in the years to come. We expect a growth of more than 40 per cent a year in this segment,” Mr Kataria said. When asked if GCPL was also looking for more acquisitions, Ms Nisaba Godrej, President, Human Capital and Innovation, Godrej Group, said: “There is nothing in the pipeline but when it happens it will be in emerging markets such as Africa and Indonesia.”
In the last couple of years, GCPL has been on an aggressive acquisition spree, buying companies in Nigeria, Indonesia, Malaysia, particularly in the hair care and household insecticide space.