INTRODUCTION: The USD 1 Billion Conglomerate- DS Group, the promoter of Ebony Retail Holdings Ltd, is a multinational group founded in the 1940s with business interests in infrastructure development, real estate, IT, hotels & leisure management and retailing. In India, the Group’s thrust is retailing and infrastructure When Ebony first opened its doors to the […]
Rural Retailing The higher income group in rural India is growing at a phenomenal rate, and the concept of brands and quality are very much prevalent. These current consumption trends provide compelling opportunities for marketers to capitalize on the increasing mass market in India for almost all product categories. Both corporations and entrepreneurs are exploring
THE ROAD AHEAD In the financial year 2001-2002, the combined turnover of all three units of Haldiram’s was estimated at Rs. 4 billion. The company targeted a growth of 15% for the financial year 2002-2003. Analysts felt that, given the competition in the industry, Haldiram’s needed to develop new initiatives achieve this growth. The competition
POSITIONING The above initiatives helped Haldiram’s to uniquely position its brand. Haldiram’s also gained an edge over its competitors by minimizing promotion costs. Appreciating the company’s efforts at building brand, an analyst said, “Haldiram once was just another sweet maker but it has moved into trained brands first by improving the product quality and packaging.
PROMOTION Haldiram’s product promotion had been low key until competition intensified in the snack foods market. The company tied with ‘Profile Advertising’ for promoting its products. Consequently, attractive posters, brochures and mailers were designed to enhance the visibility of the Haldiram’s brand. Different varieties of posters were designed to appeal to the masses. The punch
PLACE Haldiram’s developed a strong distribution network to ensure the widest possible reach for its products in India as well as overseas. From the manufacturing unit, the company’s finished goods were passed on to carrying and forwarding (C&F) agents. C&F agents passed on the products to distributors, who shipped them to retail outlets. While the
PRICING Haldiram’s offered its products at competitive prices in order to penetrate the huge unorganized market of namkeens and sweets. The company’s pricing strategy took into consideration the price conscious nature of consumers in India. Haldiram’s launched namkeens in small packets of 30 grams, priced as low as Rs.5. The company also launched namkeens in
THE MARKETING MIX PRODUCTS Haldiram’s offered a wide range of products to its customers. The product range included namkeens, sweets, sharbats[1] , bakery items, dairy products, papad[2] and ice-creams . However, namkeens remained the main focus area for the group contributing close to 60% of its total revenues. By specializing in the manufacturing of namkeens,