Business reviving in India, but growth still uneven, say global CEOs

While segments such as food, health, hygiene and nutrition are showing an uptick, discretionary categories continue to show weakness

Chief executive officers (CEOs) of some of the world’s top consumer goods companies like Unilever, Reckitt Benckiser (RB), Nestlé and PepsiCo have said their India operations normalised in the September quarter as the country eased almost all restrictions.

However, there was one exception, Coca-Cola, which saw a 10 per cent drop in its bottling business in the quarter, dragged by India and South Africa.

For other firms, growth was trickling back though it remained uneven across categories, with segments such as food, health, hygiene, and nutrition ticking up and discretionary categories showing weakness. This comes as consumers remain largely uncertain about their