Leveraging Trends To Turn Around the Tables

If you are a 90s kid, the jingle "I'm Complan Boy-Girl", must be etched on your memory. A decade ago, Complan's market share, in the overall malt-based beverage category, was in the double-digit which dropped to single digit and the brand's value took a toll. What was to be blamed?

- SHRABONA GHOSH

Frequent change of hands and formulations. The brand was under the GSK portfolio and then went to Kraft Heinz. In 2019, Zydus Wellness acquired Heinz India and took the challenge to turn around brands such as Complan, Glucon D and Nycil into high-performing FMCG power house.

UPPING THE ANTE

In 2019 when Zydus Wellness decided to acquire Heinz India, it seemed a non-conformist decision: The HMD (health foods drinks) category was already slowing down and the brand was losing its share. Tarun Arora, the CEO had an insurmountable task ahead of him, "We were taking on a double responsibility of reviving the brand to recover growth against a tide which was already slowing down," Arora explained.

Over the years, the market dynamics changed with the inception of COVID-19. "In the last few years, we are in the right space because nutrition is going to gain momentum. The opportunities in the sector have increased than the previous years as people are more health conscious," he said. The current market trend indicates no such shift in Complan's market share as the entire HMD category is facing its set of challenges, however, the CEO is bullish on growth, "During the peak waves of the pandemic, the health drink segment witnessed a spike in consumption, post that there is a slump in demand. We saw very high double digit growth during COVID-19 and the category slowed down after that as it began to balance the bases."