 |
 |
Kolkata, August 09, 2006 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| AYURVEDA ACREAGE |
|
|
|
WITH more and more people becoming conscious about what goes into the making of shampoos or face-washes, the herbal care industry is all set to play a significant role in the international market. One of the leading players in this segment is the Himalaya Drug Company, which was formed in 1930 with the aim of bringing ayurveda to society in a contemporary form and unravel the mystery behind the 5,000-year-old system of medicine. The company is all set to expand its stake across India and abroad.
 |
Subrata Dutta |
The herbal healthcare market is estimated to be worth $65 billion globally and the export market is growing at 15-18 per cent every year. In India alone, the ayurvedic/herbal business is estimated at $1 billion. Based in Bangalore, the Himalaya Drug Company has only four outlets in Kolkata - because the east as also the north have not been focussed on so far - with a total 99 stores in India. But by the end of 2007 it plans to have 140 stores - and that's definitely a big figure.
"We are still best known for LIV 52. In 1998 we decided to expand and launch consumer products. The knowhow and relationship with other firms already existed. All we had to do was make Himalaya acceptable as a lifestyle health brand. A lot of doctors were positive about our ad campaign and they helped greatly in our transition to a lifestyle health product. In 2001 we decided to set up shops across India and over the past few years the growth has been tremendous," says Subrata Dutta, business head (consumer health division), the Himalaya Drug Company.
 Himalaya offers a range of "head-to-heel" herbal healthcare products that address the healthcare needs of all consumers. Its range of 240 products can broadly be categorised into three main ranges - pharmaceuticals, consumer health products (personal care and well-being products) and animal health. In Kolkata, there are to be four more stores soon, with one in the north Kolkata and another in Salt Lake. This fiscal year, the company is looking at a 18-20 per cent growth, a few notches higher than 2004-05. The Rs 350-crore company's important area of income is the international market. It has shops in Russia, Kuala Lumpur, West Asia and elsewhere. "Himalaya is positioned as a mainstream herbal healthcare brand in all its markets. It does not operate as an Indian ayurvedic company catering to ethnic communities residing abroad. It has consciously focussed on the mainstream consumer and made a time and resource investment in educating the local population on the benefits of scientifically backed ayurvedic/ herbal healthcare products," says Dutta. Himalaya products can also be found in the Cayman Islands, Costa Rica Kenya, Latvia, Mongolia, Mexico, Nicaragua, the Slovak Republic, Trinidad and Uzbekistan, to name a few places.
The company recently inaugurated its exclusive retail outlet in the shopping plaza in Kuala Lumpur City Centre Park in Malaysia. With a store in this most premium shopping complex of Malaysia, it has taken yet another step in establishing the brand as a major player in the herbal healthcare sector in the region. For the record, around 25-30 per cent of Himalaya's business is through products sold abroad.
|
|
| |
| Back |
 |
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
