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Demand for ice creams and cold beverages like Cola have surged because of the onset of early summer and sales are likely to grow in strong double-digits this season, according to top executives of FMCG and dairy firms. The summer season will also get a tailwind in the form of an abatement of the pandemic with increased consumer mobility. This will also help the out-of-home (OOH) segment, where the companies expect a sharp rise in sales after a slump of two years. Companies are ready with new and innovative offerings anticipating strong demand for their products this season and have started building inventory. Mother Dairy, one of the leading sellers of milk, dairy beverage products and Ice creams, said it is already "witnessing a surge in demand" with rising temperature and expects the trend to continue in the coming days. "In line with the same, we have already beefed up our value-chain to cater to any surge in demand across channels. "For a category like ice creams, which is a
Sluggish rural demand along with higher inflation is set to mute revenue growth of the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector at 7-9 per cent this fiscal and the next compared to 8.5 per cent in the previous fiscal, a report said. Almost 40 per cent of the Rs 4.7-lakh-crore sector come from the hinterland markets, which have been hit by high inflation, low wages and high job losses since the Covid pandemic. Revenue growth of the FMCG sector will be muted at 7-9 per cent this fiscal and the next compared to 8.5 per cent in the last, while volume growth will be just about 1-2 per cent, down from 2.5 per cent last fiscal, Crisil said in a report on Monday. The report attributes the tepid revenue growth to the many price hikes the FMCG companies effected during the year to cushion the impact of surging input costs. Next fiscal too, the sector should see almost similar pace of growth as inflation is likely to remain high but will improve if prices moderate, the report added. The agen
The country's FMCG industry continued to witness consumption slowdown in the September quarter, with rural markets registering a higher decline in volumes compared to the three months ended June, says a report. Also, consumers continued to prefer purchasing smaller packets amid companies hiking prices in response to broader inflationary pressures, according to the report released by data analytics firm NielsenIQ on Thursday. The FMCG industry witnessed an overall volume decline of 0.9 per cent in the September quarter in comparison to the preceding three months. This was the fourth consecutive quarter with negative volume growth for the industry and is "attributed to the double-digit price growth for the past six consecutive quarters," the quarterly FMCG industry report said. Rural markets recorded a volume decline of 3.6 per cent in the September quarter in comparison to a decline of 2.4 per cent in the June quarter. "The consumption decline in the rural markets continues to be l
FMCG firms Hindustan Unilever Ltd and Godrej Consumer Products Ltd (GCPL) have cut prices of some soap brands by up to 15 per cent amid palm oil and other raw materials turning relatively cheaper. HUL has reduced prices of its offerings under popular soap brands Lifebuoy and Lux by 5 to 11 per cent in the western region. Godrej Group arm GCPL, which owns soap brand Godrej No 1, has also reduced prices of soaps by 13 to 15 per cent. Analysts opine that the reduction in prices would help drive growth in volumes in the second half of current fiscal year, especially since overall demand remains sluggish due to high inflation. One of the reasons for the price reduction is the decline in global prices of palm oil and other raw materials, they added. Commenting on the development, GCPL CFO Sameer Shah said:" With commodity prices coming down, GCPL is one of the first FMCG companies to pass on the price reduction benefit to consumers." "For soaps specifically, GCPL has reduced prices be