ITC versus PepsiCo India: Open season for juice wars in Indian market

The Kolkata-based giant signals that the last word is still to be spoken in the battle for brand supremacy in juices

The summer season has traditionally seen the cola brands slug it out aggressively for consumer mindspace. Combative ads, fight for retail shelf space and new launches have been the norm as players have looked to milk the Indian summer months for every drop of sales. But, as consumers get more health conscious, the cola fights seem to be losing their fizz and the juice brands are going head to head with claims and counter-claims. Driving these battles is the fact that the domestic juices category (also includes nectars), estimated at Rs 25 billion, is growing at around 25-30 per cent