Britannia to enter bridge snack segment

Britannia Industries Ltd, the country's largest bakery and dairy products company, plans to enter the bridge snack segment. The company has said it is currently doing test trials in Bangalore.

Speaking to reporters in Chennai, Anuradha Narasimhan, category director – Health & Wellness, Britannia Industries, said the new product 'Timepass', the snack made of double baked bread, will see a national launch in a three to four months time.

“Healthy snacking is a huge market and Britannia is toying about a lot more variants to address this segment. Even the latest Nutrichoice diabetic biscuits, launched on November 14, is a step in this segment,” she added.

With a view to popularising its latest offering of diabetic biscuits, Britannia hopes to take the chemist route for retail to reach potential customers directly.

“We are tying with chemists across the country so that the biscuit can be bought along with diabetic drugs,” she said.

However, this will only be an add-on channel and the biscuits will also be retailed at supermarkets and malls, she added.

Meanwhile, Britannia reported a 22 per cent rise in its top line growth in the first half earning Rs 1,950 crore, however, its bottom line slipped by 33 per cent owing to rise in prices of raw materials.

However, with health segment accounting for 55 per cent of the company’s revenue and with the adult health food market estimated at Rs 5,000 crore, “We hope to see some improvements in bottom line soon,” she said.