Dettol to double sales in 3 years Rs 2,500 cr

FMCG major Reckitt Benckiser (India), known for popular brands such as Dettol and Cherry Blossom, expects to double revenues in three years to Rs 2,500 crore and sees the country's top antiseptic brand Dettol alone adding Rs 1,000 crore to its top line by then.

"Our future growth in Indian will be driven by increased penetration of personal and homecare products and this growth is expected to drive our top line to the Rs 2,500 crore mark by 2010," said Reckitt Benckiser India Chairman and Managing Director Chander Mohan Sethi here.

He said presently the penetration of personal and home hygiene products in India stands at just 6 per cent and is expected to grow exponentially over the next few years.

The company operates on a calendar year basis and had closed 2006 with revenues of Rs 1,200 crore. Dettol, which has become a generic term for antisepctics in India, had a turnover of Rs 400 crore last financial year, he said. "Dettol is the biggest brand retailed by Reckitt Benckiser India and we expect it to become a Rs 1,000 crore brand by 2010," he said.

The company is mulling to add several new products in its portfolio in order to achieve its turnover target by 2010 and would launch the first such product in the next three months.

"As we grow in India, our strategy will be to introduce various new products from Reckitt Benckiser's global portfolio here. The company plans to launch a new product in India within the next three months," said Sethi without elaborating.

The company opeartes out of five manufacturing facilities in India and retails popular hygiene products including Dettol, Harpic, Lizol, Veet, Clearsil, Strepsils and Cherry Blossom among others.

Sethi said Reckitt Benckiser will continue its marketing strategy and usually spends around 15 per cent of its annual revenues on various marketing initiatives.

The company today also announced a tie up with Global Hygiene Council to create awareness on various hygiene issues in India.