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From putting products on display at stalls to setting up resting camps for pilgrims, consumer goods companies have been scrambling to showcase brands at Mahakumbh as devotees throng in record numbers to take a holy dip at Sangam -- the confluence of rivers Ganga, Yamuna and the mystical Saraswati. Top brands, including Dettol, Dabur, Pepsico, Coca-Cola, and corporate houses such as ITC and Reliance have set up camp ashrams, lined up their products, and are distributing samples and refreshments. The unmissable signage boards make one thing clear: the companies are expecting to make their presence felt in the coming days. The brands -- which have been facing headwinds owing to multiple factors led by rising prices and tepid sales in urban markets -- are taking the Mahakumbh as an opportunity to directly engage with the consumers -- especially the rural population -- and communicating with them through a host of special initiatives over 45-day-long events, in which about 40 crore peopl
Leading FMCG makers such as HUL and Wipro have hiked soap prices by around 7 -8 per cent to offset the impact of a surge in palm oil prices, a key raw material for the product. Companies such as HUL and Tata Consumer have also increased prices of tea recently due to a decline in production caused by erratic weather conditions. During the earning calls for the September quarter, several listed players hinted at a price increase in soaps in the current quarter to safeguard their margins, as they were facing a rise the prices of commodity inputs such as palm oil, coffee and cocoa. "The prices of palm oil derivatives, a key raw material in soap manufacturing, have risen significantly -- 30 per cent plus increase since the start of this year," Wipro Consumer Care Chief Executive Neeraj Khatri told PTI. "In response, all major players in the industry have implemented price hikes of approximately 78 per cent to partially offset the increase. Our pricing adjustments are aligned with these
Tails Trading Group, a UK-based supplier of multi-category consumer packaged goods led by an Indian entrepreneur, has announced the sale of its private labelling arm to a large international investor consortium for GBP 395 million. The group's labelling division has been a key supplier of a wide range of products including food and beverages, personal hygiene items, small domestic appliances and household cleaning products, with its diverse client base made up of large retailers, hotels, airlines and regional importers across North America and Europe. Terming this as a strategic move marking a significant milestone in his company's evolution, Siddharth Shankar, CEO of Tails Trading Group, said in a statement this week: We welcome this bid and are confident that the business and its social impact are safe, if not in better hands, with the new management. According to the group statement, the investor consortium is led by energy major NetOil and includes companies from the consumer ..
Rural India remains a "bright star" for the growth of fast-moving consumer goods sales and the region is expected to maintain better pace of expansion than urban areas in the second quarter of 2024, a report said on Friday. According to a report from data, insights and consulting firm Kantar, rural India will maintain "better growth levels" racing ahead of the urban markets for FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) companies in the second quarter (April-June) of 2024. Terming the rural market as a "bright star", the report said it had a "resurgence" in 2024. While urban is likely to remain under stress, the rural may consolidate its position in second quarter of the year, it said. This growth in the rural areas is helped by region-centric measures by the government in the interim budget earlier this year, which provided stability. Moreover, populist measures are expected by some states which are going to face elections this year, said Kantar FMCG pulse report for Q2. "We should also b