Our model is built on recruiting consumers into our products: Krishnakumar

We have been trying out all the categories that are possible in consumer business, be it food, beverages, impulse foods and home and personal care, said T Krishnakumar, director at RCPL

Reliance Consumer Products plans to strengthen its presence in the non-food business in the second half of the year. In a video interview, T Krishnakumar, director at Reliance Consumer Products, speaks to Sharleen D’Souza about the company’s plans. Edited excerpts: 

Which categories is Reliance Consumer Products currently focusing on? 

We’re focused on four broad areas — beverages, branded staples, impulse foods, and home and personal care. Beverages and staples are scaling up rapidly, and we believe we now have a solid business proposition in both. Our model is built on recruiting consumers with high-quality, affordable products, and that approach is working. 

Impulse foods — biscuits, confectionery, and value chocolates — are next in line, supported by our subsidiary, Lotus. We aim to scale this over the next 12 months. We’re also relaunching the Sil brand with offerings across multiple food categories. In personal care, our Velvet brand will expand, and in home care, our products under HomeGuard, Enzo, and Dozo are ready for scale after promising pilots. Over the next 24 months, we aim to evolve into a full-fledged consumer business with strong play across categories, led by consumer recruitment and value-driven offerings. 

When do we expect to see more action in the non-food business? 

In the second half of this year, we’ll be getting stronger in the non-food space because we’ve worked out quite a few things. We’re sequencing the rollout since handling too many things at once isn’t prudent. 

What is your distribution target for 2025-26 (FY26)? 

We exited last year with roughly a million outlets. I’d really like to see us exit this year with at least 2.5 million outlets by March 2026. Over the next five years, we aim to reach a stable distribution of about 5 million outlets. 

How do you expect revenues to pan out in FY26 since you have already closed 2024-25 with revenues crossing ₹11,000 crore?

 

Our pace will not slow down. We aim to maintain the same growth momentum we’ve seen over the past two years. 

Will you continue to incentivise the distributor with higher margins? 

It’s a way of ensuring that they — distributors and retailers — get returns on the investments they’ve made. For a retailer, it’s about space; for a distributor, it’s the investment, which involves a complex set of factors including stock, holding, and market credit. We’ll always ensure we are best-in-class for both distributors and retailers. We constantly track their cost movements and adjust accordingly. 

A good organisation should always ensure that its partners get their share of growth and performance. That’s something we’ll continue to sustain. 

Do we see more acquisitions from your end? 

We’re open to acquisitions, provided they are suited to our strategy or meet a specific need in the market. If an existing brand has the right positioning and fits our requirements, we’ll definitely review it. But our approach isn’t to acquire companies just to augment revenue. 

We look for acquisitions that will help scale the category strategically. If something fits that space, we’ll take a serious look. We’re not interested in paying a very high price. Our entire approach is long term — it’s about building an institutionalised, profitable business that’s great for consumers, shareholders, and all stakeholders.