KIT: The school stationery market in India

School stationery sales are on the rise and the category has created its own space in the market place.

The rapid and steady increase in the size of this category can be attributed to children making their own buying decisions and also the government’s plans and policies to achieve total literacy.

While earlier the consumption of school stationery was restricted to urban areas, over the years it has penetrated to rural areas because of the impetus to free education.

There is no particular brand ruling the market alone. While Camlin, Pidilite and Navneet are some popular Indian brands, Faber Castle, Kores and Maped are among the most visible international ones.

Branded products face stiff competition today from cheap Chinese stationery in the local market which has been attracting children with low-cost products with colourful and graphical impressions. To meet such competition, brands are tying up with animation channels such as Disney and Nickelodeon to create products that feature their characters.