The TTK group has launched its own brand of condoms, Skore, post its deal with Reckitt Benckiser. While TTK gets to keep the manufacturing facilities, the brands Kohinoor and Durex will now be marketed by Reckitt.

According to sources, Reckitt, which counts brands such as Dettol and Harpic in its portfolio, proposes to aggressively push Durex and Kohinoor, now that it has the brands in its control.

For both the companies the battleground now shifts from the courts to the market place.

The 2.1 billion condoms a year market is a complex one. Branded players constitute 40 per cent of the volumes in the market and 60 per cent of the value.

The market size, according to industry players, is approximately Rs 1,600 crore a year. Growth, which was around 18-20 per cent couple of years ago, has tapered to around 8-10 per cent.

Apart from the branded players, the market is made up largely of government orders — subsidised condoms which it sells as well as those that it gives away free under various programmes (see Table).

> vinay.kamath@thehindu.co.in

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