Himalaya gives power to five brands
By Praveen Chandran | 16 Feb 2002
Says HHH executive vice-president (consumer product division) Soumitro Banerji: "The five brands — Himalaya Acane-n-Pimple Cream, Himalaya Dandruff Shampoo, Himalaya Footcare Cream, Himalaya Hairoil and Himalaya Dental Cream — have been the major contributors to our consumer care division during the last financial year. So we have decided to give more thrust to these five brands and convert them into the company’s power brands."
Himalaya Healthcare, the producer of leading household brands like Liv-52 and Ayurvedic Concepts, has recently decided to unify all its offerings under the single, global brand Himalaya. This marks a significant step in the company’s efforts to emerge as one of the world’s leading herbal and healthcare brands.
Banerji says during the financial year 2000-01, HHH’s consumer product division recorded a turnover of Rs 40 crore and these five brands alone contributed 50 per cent of the total turnover of the division.
"We have projected a 100-per cent turnover of these products in the coming fiscal and will promote them via advertisements and through the strong marketing network the company has. Currently Himalaya has a field-force of over 450 executives," he says. All the five brands are also the leading brands in their respective segments.
About the brand rationalisation drive, Banerji says the global medical consumer fraternity is fast realising the limitations of the present mainstream healthcare system. "Since we have various products under different brand names, a critical step in our globalisation drive is to bring together all our products under one brand umbrella." The global herbal healthcare market is estimated at $50 billion.
Recently the company floated marketing joint ventures in 14 countries across the world, and is likely to add three more in the next 12 months. This covers markets in North and South America, Africa, Eastern Europe, CIS countries and East Asia. The company will set up an offshore manufacturing facility, probably in West Asia, very soon.
HHH has also plans to expand its exclusive showrooms from the current 12 to 50 from the next financial year. These showrooms will serve as a one-stop-shop for the entire range of products under the Himalaya brand that varies from pharma, FMCG and animal health.