Unprecedented Times Require Agility & Adaptability: Oliver Mirza, MD & CEO, Dr Oetker

MIRZA AND HIS TEAM WORKED TIRELESSLY DURING THE LOCKDOWN TO ENSURE CONSISTENT SERVICING OF RETAIL OUTLETS SO THAT THEY WOULD NOT RUN OUT OF STOCK, DESPITE A RESTRICTION ON THE MOVEMENT OF GOODS IN THE COUNTRY…

- Charu Lamba

A lockdown to slow the spread of COVID-19, while an important decision by the government, hurt the economy and the retail segment in India. Retail giants in India worked with the objective of keeping the food chain going so that modern and traditional trade outlets would not run out of stock during the lockdown period. One such brand was Dr. Oetkar. Although the brand faced a massive challenge in the form of movement of products – from the plant to the consignee, from the consignee to the distributor and from the distributor to the retail outlet – and production was halted for a week, Dr Oetkar worked hard to ensure that supply was not depleted.

Once the brand received permission from the concerned authorities to reopen with strict guidelines and SOPs, several consignees, distributors and retailers went out of their way to ensure product availability on retail shelves by depleting pipeline inventories. And while foodservice sales nearly dropped to zero, and the sales of Dr Oetker’s retail products slowed down in the two weeks after March 24 due to closure of malls and shops, mid-April onwards, the brand observed increased order volumes for condiments such as mayonnaise and Italian sauces.

In an interaction with Progressive Grocer, Oliver Mirza, Managing Director & CEO, Dr. Oetker Indian Subcontinent talked about the steps the brand is taking to overcome the impact of the lockdown and their future plans. Excerpts from the interview:

How did you cope with the constraints forced by the lockdown in terms of underutilisation of production capacity, shortage of labor, and workforce and distribution challenges.