GCPL expects uptick in consumer demand, positive second half

Home-grown FMCG firm, Godrej Consumer Products Ltd (GCPL) has slashed its soap prices by 6 to 8 per cent, extending the tax benefits to its consumers, while absorbing the hike in hair colours.

The company which sells soaps under brands such as Cinthol and Godrej No 1 is optimistic about an uptick in the consumer demands coupled by GST and good monsoon from September onwards and expects a good second half this fiscal.

Sunil Kataria,Business Head-India and SAARC countries, GCPL, said, "We are looking on a price drop of 6 to 8 per cent on our soaps, extending the benefits of GST to our consumers. We are also not increasing the price of the products which attracted higher tax as hair colours etc."

He said, "In terms of pricing, our category as hair colours have seen rates going up, similarly in the air care, parts of some segment were going up. Where ever there is a price impact, we would not go for any increase. It is a call we have taken."

He added, "In the Home Insecticides (HI) segment such as HITS and Good Knight, it would have a neutral impact of GST."

Kataria said, "The reason is that we believe that by passing on these benefits to the consumers, it would drive in the demand."

He added, "We believe that with a good monsoon and GST benefits, we are on the threshold of getting kick start of the FMCG growth and see a strong demand happening in next three months."

Kataria further said that the entire channel pipelines have been filled up again in the first quarter of this fiscal.

He said, "We see a sentiment recovery. I am confident that the second half of this year would be very positive, a good monsoon would be great multiplier in the demands from the rural side."

The FMCG segment was heading towards a good growth last fiscal boosted by factors such as good monsoon and seventh pay hike etc, however the demand crashed after the government announced demonetisation.

He said, "We could have got (growth) if the demonetisation would not have happened. We had seen growth happening to start in October last year," he added.

He said, "Besides, the company would also have couple of new launches in the next three to five months across the category, he added without naming the segments.