A new addition to the list of Indian firms with international dreams is Himalaya Drug Company, which has its sights set on markets ranging across 80 countries in Asia, Africa and in the US. "Most countries in Asia have a growing need for natural products, and ayurvedic products offer an attractive alternative to traditional Chinese medicine" , explains Sue Ong, CEO, Embun Elit, who took over to head marketing and distribution for Himalaya in Malaysia, after working for over 20 years with Estee Lauder. Himalaya is pegging its hope on high-end healthcare and beauty products to improve its visibility.

With dreams to become a global brand, Himalaya is now taking the retail route towards building its presence internationally

In Malaysia, Himalaya has four exclusive retail outlets in premier shopping destinations of the country, including Kuala Lumpur Commercial Centre (KLCC), the city's most prestigious shopping mall. "Himalaya is the first Indian brand to be invited to open an exclusive outlet in KLCC" , says Ganesh Natarajan, business head - South East Asia. Himalaya's lavish new store stands proudly among the L'Oreal , Gucci, Christian Dior and Kenzo outlets. "This strategy might right now not be beneficial to our bottom line," admits Ravi Prasad, president & CEO, Himalaya, "but it is in line with our branding strategy." The main reason for the positioning, he explains, is that the brand didn't want to be seen as purely catering to Indian consumers, with products distributed in shopping destinations frequented by Indians. "Instead , we want to build a strong credibility for our brand and give it a truly international image," says Prasad.

Himalaya is also present in over a thousand other outlets such as pharmacies and chemists across Malaysia as well as in eight 'shop-in-shops' - a format the company aims to further develop. "We want to expand our 'shop-inshops' retail format so as to give consumers a one-stop shop to view our entire product offering," says Natarajan. "We also want consumers to make informed choices about which Himalaya product would benefit them the most. To achieve this, we intend to train our workforce so that they can educate consumers about the products alongwith different therapeutic offerings, which are synergistic," he adds. Last year, Himalaya entered the highly competitive Singapore market - house to some of the top international brands, where even the consumer is well-educated . "We are now available across 150 outlets across the country," explains Natarajan.

Today, while it continues to enhance its visibility in existing markets, Himalaya is also busy exploring new territories . "Over the next few years, we plan to enter countries in the Far East Asia including Indonesia, Vietnam and Japan. We also have plans to enter Western Europe and Latin America in the near future ," says Prasad. Going forward, Himalaya intends to widen its existing product portfolio. "We are particularly keen on increasing our range of 'serious' therapeutic pharmaceutical products" , says Prasad.

Himalaya's pharmaceutical products range from cough and cold to liver care, hypertension, to arthritis. "We would like to change the common perception that, herbal drugs are light products which are probably safe and may possibly do you good, and show that they can be used to treat serious conditions , either as a complement to an allopathic drug, or on its own," he explains. Himalaya has in fact already started working closely with pharmacists and is trying to increase its interaction with doctors. This would be a significant future growth path for the company, and most definitely challenging.