Himalaya enters mothercare segment; eyes 6% sales in 2 years

Company looking at Rs 2,100 crore sales in current fiscal, over Rs 1,800 crore in the previous fiscal

Herbal wellness and personal care firm Himalaya Drug Company on Tuesday announced foray into the mothercare segment with the launch of a range of products and is eyeing up to six per cent contribution in its turnover in two years time.

"We have forayed into the mothercare segment with a dedicated range of herbal products for women to be used before and after pregnancy... We expect mothercare segment to contribute five-six per cent in our turnover in two years time," Himalaya Drug Company CEO Philipe Haydon told PTI.

The company, which reported a turnover of Rs 1,800 crore in the previous fiscal, is looking at Rs 2,100 crore sales in the current fiscal, Haydon said.

At present, Himalaya's biggest vertical of personal care contributes 42 per cent to its total sales, followed by pharmaceutical 32 per cent, baby care 15 per cent, animal health 4 per cent and wellness 4 per cent.

On more launches, he said: "We have entered the segment with four products and we will launch another seven-eight products over the next one year... We are hoping to be a benchmark in the mother personal care space."

When asked if the company is looking at raising funds to support its aggressive expansion plans, Haydon said: "We have been very active in the last one year with new launches but we fund all our expansion through internal accruals. We have no plans to raise funds."

Initially, the company has launched four products targeting mothers and will promote it through its network of gynaecologists and neonatologists. The products will be available in medical stores, supermarkets and modern trades outlets.