MNCs call the shots in home & personal care, Indian firms in food

Growing aspirations imply that consumers veer towards global brands in home and personal care

India's nearly Rs 3 lakh crore consumer goods market throws up an interesting trend. Multinational companies such as Hindustan Unilever (HUL), Procter & Gamble (P&G), Colgate-Palmolive and RB (formerly Reckitt Benckiser) dominate the home and personal care category here. Indian entities such as Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), marketer of the Amul brand of dairy products, biscuit maker Parle Products, Britannia and ITC dominate the food category.

Analysts and sector experts pin this trend down to the aspirational nature of home and personal products, drawing Indian consumers to global brands. Food, on the other hand, is local in nature,