Colgate 5-Month Sales Up 20%

Addressing the company's 55th annual general meeting in Mumbai, Lister also announced the launch of five new products in the oral pharma category.

Four of these products will be prescriptive and will be available at chemist shops. The launch has been made in six cities.

Reviewing the performance of 1995-96, Lister noted that the company widened consumers choice in core categories. This was done through the introduction of Zigzag toothbrush, launch of Palmolive Optima, the relaunches of Colgate Calciguard and Halo shampoo, and the launch of Palmolive naturals. All these have met encouraging response, added Lister.

Colgate invested Rs 18.6-crore in expansion at its locations in Aurangabad and Mumbai in Maharashtra last year. This year, the figure will be Rs 6 crore.

Lister admitted Colgate has been unable to make much headway in the toilet soaps market due to intense competition from Hindustan Lever and Procter & Gamble. Due to this, capacity utilisation at the Aurangabad had been low. He hoped that Palmolive Naturals will help improve capacity utilisation.

With the launch of new products and extensive rural marketing programme supported by good distribution network and product innovation, Colgate is reaching closer to its vision of becoming the company of first choice, said Lister.