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Homegrown FMCG company Godrej Consumer Products Ltd (GCPL) is ramping up its health and hygiene portfolio with new products such as face masks, disinfectant sprays, wipes and others under its “Protekt” brand.
From hand sanitisers and hand washes (including a powder to liquid variant and foam-based one), Godrej Protekt will be leveraged as a complete home and outdoor health and hygiene brand. New offerings, under Protekt, over the last 30 days, include health soaps, a new sanitiser range and face masks. Reusable N95 face masks are available on e-commerce sites like Flipkart.
According to Sunil Kataria, CEO – India and SAARC, several launches in the preventive care category had been planned since the pre-lockdown days. However, the virus-induced lockdown and supply chain disruption saw some push-back, in categories.
“We have a strong innovation pipeline and a flurry of items in categories such as air care and fresheners, home care, insecticides ready. However, the lockdown happened and now we are seeing a huge change in which consumers and users are approaching hygiene as a category. Their health habits are changing too,” he told BusinessLine during an interview.
Interestingly, Edelweiss in a report mentions prioritisation of health and hygiene will “drive future growth” and the company is targeting 5 per cent of its Q1 revenues from it.
Household insecticides
According to Kataria, household insecticides will continue to be one “core area” where the company with “strengthen its position”. GCPL has a host of offerings under brands like Good Knight - mosquito repellant liquids and sprays, coils and incense sticks, fabric roll on and patches, anti-fly surface sprays, etc — and Hit with offerings in insecticide sprays, roach gels, rat kills and stick pads, among others.
Products like liquid vaporizer (mosquito repellent) have been scaled up pan-India, following good response in southern markets and onset of high mosquito infestation season in northern and eastern regions of the country.
Challenges in New Normal
The company is already operating at 80-85 per cent of its capacities (production); and the “situation is improving”. At the backend there are no issues; but the “challenge remains at the front-end”, specially at the distributor-end. Last mile connectivity at the retailer or kirana-end is still hit.
The company, market sources say, witnessed steady demand in till the first half of March; however, there was a complete pause on sales due to disruptions in supply chain because of Covid-19. This led to 15 per cent decline in sales volume, YoY, for the final quarter of FY20.
Total income stood at ₹5,566 crore in FY20; while net profit stood at ₹1,180 crore.
“Digital is going to be big driver with tele-calling and ordering through application being planned as the new route-to-market for general trade and kiranas,” he said.
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