Getting aggressive in the foods category, Kolkata-based FMCG company Emami plans to launch products,

RELATED ARTICLES Emami Q4 net up 33% at Rs 72 cr; FY12 profit at Rs 259 cr

including breakfast cereals, noodles, ready-to-eat foods and fruit juices. The company also wants its edible oil brand to be among the top three national brands in five years, for which it is deploying a ‘localised strategy’.

In the next 12 to 24 months, Emami Biotech, part of Rs 3,700 crore Emami Group, will launch its brands in at least three processed food categories. The company is also exploring the opportunity to have a ‘healthy snacks’ brand in the market.

“In FMCG, processed food is the fastest growing segment. In this, pure fruit juices are growing at 30 to 35 per cent. Noodles, breakfast cereals and other ready-to-eat foods too growing at a fast pace,” said SK Chakraborty, CEO - Foods, Emami Biotech. The company will also look at acquiring existing brands in these categories, he said.

As far as edible oil is concerned, the company targets for a slot among the top three national brands in five years with a market share of around 10 per cent. “The Rs 14,000 crore branded edibile oil market is dominated by regional and local names. The top four brands, Fortune, Saffola, Sundrop and Nature Fresh are left with single digit market share. However, the transition from loose oil to branded consumer packs too is happening at around 14 per cent,” said Manish Goenka, director, Emami Group of Companies.

In order to achieve its target, Emami is deploying a localised strategy, which is based on promoting the brand through regional celebrities, apart from the national brand ambassadors Priety Zinta and Mahendra Singh Dhoni. In West Bengal, the edible oil brand, Healthy and Tasty is endorsed by four celebrities- novelist Sunil Gangapadhyay, orator Bratati Bandhyopadhyay, actress Rituparna Sengupta, and artist Mamata Shankar. In Tamil Nadu, actor Suriya is the company’s brand ambassador and in Bihar and Orissa too there are local celebrities to endorse.

“The localised marketing strategy has helped us grow better than expected in West Bengal. So we are experimenting with the same strategy in other states we are present. In the six states where the brand is present, we are spending Rs 20 crore on marketing activities. In most of the states, the market leaders are local brands,” said Goenka.