Coca-Cola India plans to add flavoured milk, ice tea, ready-to-serve coffee and fruit juices to its portfolio, even as it looks at Kinley water as a sizeable source of revenue.
agencyfaqs! News Bureau
NEW DELHI, Aug 19
In an effort to spur its growth in the non-alcoholic beverages market, Coca-Cola India Ltd, which posted a turnover of Rs 2,900 crore in 1999, is in the process of arming its arsenal with a wide range of products for the Indian consumer.
The company also plans to aggressively pursue a region-specific approach with respect to its product offerings. Leveraging a 100-brands-plus global portfolio, the beverage giant is likely to pick-and-choose the components of its portfolio based on seasonality and the peculiarities of the local markets.
Among the new products that Coca-Cola plans to introduce in India are flavoured milk, ice tea, ready-to-serve coffee and fruit juices. The company is also toying with the idea of launching flavoured health water, which, it claims, has been a runaway success in other Asian markets. These initiatives will be finalized over the next five months.
Simultaneously, signaling its desire to move away from a Coke-centric approach, Coca-Cola has also decided to expand its marketing focus to build other acquired brands. It is also exploring the possibilities of widening its existing portfolio through strategic acquisitions.
Success in the ‘regional route' approach has prompted Coca-Cola India to stick to the formula. Apparently, in brand terms, Coke is ahead in Delhi, Thums Up is in full throttle in Mumbai and Andhra Pradesh, while Fanta is leading the pack in Tamil Nadu.
Packaged drinking water is one segment that Coca-Cola India is banking on heavily. Not surprising, considering that the packaged water market has an estimated growth of 100 per cent. And although this market is still nascent in India, global biggies such as Aquafina (Pepsi), Perrier (Nestle) and Evian (Danone) have pitched tent with a vengeance. And, of course, there are the home-grown brands, Bisleri and Bailley.
Eager not to be left behind, Coca-Cola is launching its drinking water brand, Kinley, in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The national launch has been slated for end 2000. Priced at Rs 12 for a 1-litre PET bottle (in Tamil Nadu, the retail price is Rs 10 a bottle), Kinley is being bottled at Coca-Cola's greenfield manufacturing plant at Bidadi, near Bangalore.
According to company sources, great pains have been taken to ensure the purity of the water. A special imported tamper-proof closure - which, unlike break-away caps, is impossible to re-seal - is one of the USPs of Kinley. The company claims that the brand also has the certification of the Federation of Family Physicians Association of India (FFPAI).
© 2000 agencyfaqs!
Follow Us/afaqs/media/agency_attachments/2024-10-10t065829449z-afaqs_640x480.png)
