Future Group launches own toothpaste brand; part of private label extension plan

Future Group entered the toothpaste market with its own brand, Sach, even as it announced plans to soon launch men's personal care products under its John Miller brand.

“No new toothpaste brands have been able to establish themselves in the past 20 years. I hope we will be able to break that jinx,'' says Kishore Biyani, chief executive of Future Group, which operates over 1,000 stores.

Sach is a co-brand of Sachin Tendulkar and the Future Group. It has already been used for retailing toothbrushes, launched six months ago to get a foothold in the oral hygiene market, estimated at Rs 5,000 crore.

Fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies such as Colgate and Hindustan Unilever (HUL) are believed to control 85 per cent of the toothpaste market.

The company intends to take its toothpaste brand beyond its outlets, to kirana (small independent) stores and other retail chains in the next three months, Biyani said.

The group is also planning to launch a deodorant by May under the John Miller brand, under which it already sells apparel. Though the group will position it in line with national brands, it will add a unique selling proposition to the product to attract buyers, said Devendra Chawla, business head of the Group’s private brands.

The Indian personal care market, estimated to be over Rs 16,000 crore, is dominated by big companies such as HUL and Godrej.