In packaged food, local players beat multinationals in market share

Only three international brands have figured in the top ten players in the market share, data from Euromonitor states

The year 2015 has been a good year for homegrown food brands like Amul, Britannia, Mother Dairy, Parle, among others, as there has been a clear trend amongst consumers preferring Indian brands over their foreign counterparts. In fact, only three international brands (Mondelez, PepsiCo and Nestle) figured in the top ten players by market share across packaged foods, as per data from market research firm Euromonitor.

In fact, Swiss food giant Nestle slipped down the rankings table to the seventh spot, as its market share dipped from 4.2% in 2014 to 2.9% in 2015. This was primarily due to the ban on its popular instant noodles brand Maggi. 

The Indian packaged food market as such grew by 15% during the calendar year 2015 to Rs 2.57 lakh crore from Rs 2.23 lakh crore in 2014.  “Domestic manufacturers like Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), Mother Dairy Fruit & Vegetable, Ruchi Soya Industries and many more dominated packaged food in 2015, whereas international players still have to understand the dynamics of the Indian consumer mind-set,” Euromonitor said.  

The report further said that domestic manufacturers are increasing their distribution and penetration into rural India, launching smaller packs with lower price points, which boosted their efforts in this direction in 2015.  Domestic manufacturers are also increasing their product portfolios — an example being ITC’s launch of packaged namkeens (traditional savoury snacks) — and many more manufacturers are launching traditional snacks to grab larger shares.

The market shares, by retail sales value, includes sale of fresh, packaged and prepared food for home preparation and consumption. 

Gujarat's Amul bagged the top slot with a 7.2% share, followed by Mother Dairy and Britannia Industries.