Focus To Be On Bisleri

Ramesh Chauhan is planning a major foray in the mineral water and soda market with his Bisleri brand. Chauhan plans to launch a blitz to make Bisleri water into a 40-million-case-a-year brand by the end of the century with a turnover of over Rs 500 crore.

Chauhan is also working out a strategy to virtually double the sales of Bisleri soda from 8 million cases to 15 million cases by the end of 1999. Together these two brands would give Chauhan a turnover of close to Rs 1,000 crore by the end of the century. The former cola king has lined up 18 bottling units, many of them controlled directly by him, to bottle mineral water and soda.

 

Chauhan plans to get into the soda market after his agreement with Coke lapses in October. The agreement grants the multinational the right to use the Bisleri brand for its soda water upon payment of a royalty.

Once the contract lapses in October, Chauhan plans to set up his own bottling and marketing franchise network all over the country. Talks are on with Cadbury Schweppes for a possible contract manufacturing agreement to bottle Bisleri soda in certain locations where they have surplus capacity. Aware that the contract is lapsing, Coke is already readying for battle with the launch of their own soda brand _ Kinley _ in various parts of the country.

Chauhan expects to sell 500 million litres of mineral water annually and he will tap the large home market for the product.

Chauhan, however, has stopped operations of Nutra Sweets a joint venture to manufacture artificial sweeteners which was located in Goa.