Biscuits and Cookies (Up 11 Per Cent)

India loves it's chai and its companion the 'biskut'. It is no wonder that the biscuit and cookie category grows in volumes every year and 2010 was no exception.

The biscuit market in India is pegged at around `9,000 crore with major players like Britannia, Parle, ITC fighting for the lion's share. There is also a fair share of competition from private labels and local players like Surya Food's Priyagold in the north, Anmol Biscuits in the north and east, Cremica in the west and Dukes in the south. The entry of new players and also new variants from existing brands has expanded the market significantly in the last year.

In the second half of 2009, PepsiCo India's food division Frito Lay launched Aliva. Early 2010 witnessed the entry of the UK-headquartered United Biscuits, introducing its flagship brand, McVities. United Biscuits which is the third-largest biscuit maker in the world, acquired a manufacturing unit in Himachal Pradesh. Cashing in on the health factor in India, the first product that was launched in India was McVities' Digestive, as a 'healthy' biscuit. Worldwide, the brand is positioned based on its whole grain content. With the slogan, 'Whole Wheat At Its Heart'. In India, its positioning is based on two propositions - health and taste. The brand has adopted the tagline, Taste Ki Nayi Language.

United Biscuits followed up this launch with McVities Cookies priced at an affordable `10, which competes with Britannia's Good Day and Sunfeast Special. Britannia went one step ahead in 2010 and launched Tiger Fruit and Nut at a very affordable `5 price point.

Tiger, over the year, has seen huge success with its variants, Tiger Glucose (`5 for a 100-gm pack) and Tiger Cashew Badam (`6 for 75 gm). It has a market share of 30 per cent in the glucose biscuits segment. This opened up a whole new market base for biscuits in this price range. The brand now has variants such as Chocochips, Strawberry, Banana, Butterscotch, Pineapple and Elachi.

Not to be left behind, in 2010, Britannia launched the NutriChoice New Year pack, the Health Starter Kit, priced at `100 that was targeted at those who make New Year resolutions but don't follow them. The Health Starter Kit contained one pack each of NutriChoice Hi-Fiber Digestive, NutriChoice 5 Grain, NutriChoice Nature Spice Cracker bundled together with a Fit Sip Sipper and a fitness chart.

Interestingly, following the lead of chocolates, biscuit brands launched assorted gift packs around festive seasons. Britannia launched its Greetings packs, while Parle launched Occasions. Going forward, another brand, Kraft Foods, has plans to launch its globally popular Oreo Cookies in India too.

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