Choco sales up, but beverages plunge

Mumbai: It’s been a Diwali ‘dhamaka’ in sales of branded commodities as well as chocolates & confectionery this month. But there’s a word of caution for categories like home care, personal care, beverages and packaged foods as sales of these have shrunk during October 1 to 24, on a month-on-month (MoM) basis.

- Namrata Singh

According to data by Bizom, a platform that automates retail execution at 7.5 million kirana stores, overall FMCG sales clocked an MoM growth of a little less than 6% during the period, but this was driven largely by branded commodities and chocolates & confectionery (see graphic). Packaged foods and home care, on the other hand, have degrown. Beverages, according to the data, had an even steeper fall. FMCG sales during the Diwali week — October 18-24 — rose 10.6% when compared to the previous year’s Diwali.