Welcome to 4Ps Business and Marketing

These are not celebrated stories of fortune 500 global brands with multi-million marketing budgets or chest-thumping nuggets about state sponsored public sector heavyweights; neither are they oft-repe....Read More

THE MIGHTY DAVIDS

Coca Cola acquired local brand Thums Up hoping to kill competition. The move backfired and Thums Up is still India’s largest selling cola drink. Despite MNCs and big national brands, the staying power of local flavours continues, says Savreen Gadhoke
Bombay, March 15, 1959: Seven semi-illiterate women with a borrowed capital of Rs.80 assemble at a vacant terrace to start their entrepreneurial journey in an endeavour to support their livelihoods. ....Read More

HIGHWAY TO HIGH GROWTH

FROM THE BEAUTIFUL VALLEY OF KASHMIR TO THE CORRIDORS OF POWER IN NEW DELHI TO THE CONCRETE MAYA-LAND OF UTTAR PRADESH, OUR CORRESPONDENTS BRING YOU A SNAPSHOT OF LOCAL LORDS IN THE NORTH ....Read More

A SPICY EXCEPTION

It has not been easy for entrepreneurs to flourish in the militancy scarred valley of Kashmir. But some like Muhammad Amin shine out as ‘spicy’ exceptions, feels Haroon Reshi…
It was the year 1972. The Indo-Pak war had just ended and a separate Bangladesh had been carved out of East Pakistan. Armed militancy had still to raise its ugly head and calm serenity waxed eloquent ....Read More

THIS VALLEY’S CHANGING

Name one company from the Valley you might know of. Better, name the largest. And that’s why the name of Khyber Group – the largest business group in Kashmir – came as a wonderfully pleasant surprise. Haroon Reshi writes...
Umar Tramboo – the name was as new to us as was his group’s, Khyber, which runs Khyber Kareem Silk (P) Ltd. and Khyber Industries Pvt. Ltd. Compared to all companies in the valley – domestic, multinat....Read More

GOING, GOING...GIANI!

A European could well mistake it to be an Italian brand. Giani Ice Cream Parlour belongs to the true blue Delhi kingdom, and rules NCR with as much earthy panache as is connoted by its name. By Surbhi Chawla
If you have a sense of disbelief and utter astonishment at the strangely ‘local’ brand name the business has, and the paradoxical massive sales it has in the put on modish NCR society, gulp the though....Read More

HAVE A SWEET TOOTH?

After a successful foray into the Delhi market last year, Panchhi Petha is now all set to take on some more states with a bang. What is it that makes this brand synonymous to Petha in North India? Finds 4Ps B&M’s Pawan Chabra
Subhash Goyal,
Director, Panchhi Foods Pvt. Ltd.

Subhash Goyal, Director, Panchhi Foods Pvt. Ltd., (60 years) had started looking after the operations of the company at the young a....Read More

BACKWATERS AND BRAINY BUSINESSMEN

CHETAN BHAGAT’S ‘TWO STATES’ BRINGS OUT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CULTURES, HABITS & TASTES OF INDIA’S NORTH AND SOUTH IN ONE EASY, HUMOUROUS READ. BUT THE ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT REMAINS THE SAME... ....Read More

THE COCONUT LOBBY

With the support of 900 co-operatives of coconut farmers in Kerala, it has been relatively easy for Kera to secure its supply chain and market in South India. But can Kerafed get north Indians to cook in coconut oil, wonders Rajasekhara Panicker
Febi Varghese,
MD, Kerafed

What sunflower and mustard oil are to the north, coconut oil is to South India. And betting on swaying this huge market of edible coconut oil in their f....Read More

CHENNAI’S ‘I DO HALL’

Unlike its aggressive pan-India counterparts, Naidu Hall is going slow, taking baby expansion steps. From lingerie to kids wear to foot wear, this Rs.750 million regional player wants to stick to its roots, says Sunthara Budhhan
This one almost sounds like a fairy tale. About a century ago a family from a small town called Gudiyatham in Tamil Nadu came to Chennai in search of livelihood. The bread earner of the family started....Read More

SWEET DECADENCE

Sitting between piles of mysurpas & kaju katlis, M. Murali, MD, Sri Krishna talks about his sweet success to 4Ps B&M’s N. Asokan and how the shop is looking forward to a huge export market for its unique product offerings
M. Murali,
MD, Sri Krishna

For the makers of mysurpa (a soft version of the decadent, hard Mysore Pak) it was never tough to pull in customers to their retail outlets, as their fla....Read More

NO COMBING BACK THESE WELL-OILED DREAMS...

“Be undaunted by loss, have courage and a will to proceed. Think calmly when you have failures and be honest.” With a success mantra like that, little surprise that this regional player from the south is throwing caution to the winds. By Naresh Nunna
Bachchu V. Subba Rao is a name few would have heard of in the north. Hint: he helps keep your hair and scalp healthy. Still clueless? Tch! Ask an Andhrite and he’d correct the proper noun first, for i....Read More

INCENSUOUS!

Being the owner of a product that goes up in smoke every time a customer uses it, Ambika Krishna is battling it out in the incense sticks segment with MNCs... and winning. Naresh Nunna finds whether ‘God’ really has a role to play in Ambica Agarbathies’ success.
It’s a wonder that a product in so niche a category could have competition so tough. When we first looked at Ambica Agarbathies Aroma & Industries Limited’s growing fame as an incense manufacturer in ....Read More

SOME OF THE BEST FROM THE WEST...

WITH TWO OF THE MOST ENTREPRENEURIAL STATES VIZ. GUJARAT & MAHARASHTRA, NO SURPRISE MOST REGIONAL BRANDS FROM THE WEST FLOURISH AND GROW INTO ICONIC NATIONAL BRANDS. REMEMBER AMBANI, LALBHAI, WADIA.......Read More

LIVING THE “GLOCAL” LIFE

This one’s a regional brand with a difference says 4Ps B&M’s Rupesh Panchal. It has the historical legacy befitting some of the most iconic global brands; it is India’s largest privately held packaged tea company; and despite not having a pan-India presence, it’s distribution muscle is already spread across 35 countries
Parag Desai, CEO of the Wagh Bakri Group saunters proudly around his sun-kissed office in Ahmedabad. His pride stems not only from the fact that his brand founders had the blessings of Mahatma Gandhi ....Read More

OF WAFERS & CHIPS

A perceivably small and regional player like Balaji Wafers has gone on to capture almost 70% of the chips market in Gujarat. Time for multinat heavyweights to wake up and smell the coffee... oops chips! By Pranab Bora
This is the story of a brand that was born in Gujarat of 1976 when Chandubhai & Meghjibhai Virani agreed to supply wafers and namkeens to be sold to movie-goers of Astron Cinema in Rajkot. This contin....Read More

THE SMART CARETAKER

The consumer care segment has been dominated by MNCs. But in the midst of all of them, a Maharashtra-based company has made a significant market for itself. Danish Riyaz talks to the man behind Pitambari Products Ltd.
Ravindra Prabhudesai,
MD, Pitambari Group

For a company that derives its rustic name from a legendary powder that cleans brass/copper products, being part of the post-modern homeca....Read More

MARCH ON, BUT WATCH YOUR BACK!

Liverpool has quick ly touched the hearts of the masses, but is going slow on the manufacturing front. By Angshuman Paul
India’s textile industry is loaded with numerous examples of legendary apparel manufacturers, with legacies that date back to the pre-independence era. Many of them like the Lalbhais (Arvind Mills) an....Read More

LOOK EAST WITH SIMPLICITY & ÉLAN

A CLUTCH OF ENTREPRENEURS IN THE EAST HAVE CHALLENGED STEREOTYPES TO CONQUER SPICES, BEAUTY, PHARMA AND EVEN TECHNOLOGY TO LAY CLAIM TO INDIA’S GROWTH SAGA. READ ON... ....Read More

AN AROMATIC AVENUE

India’s booming wellness industry is enticing global players in droves, but local brands continue to occupy almost 80% of the beauty and spa market. And sme like Keya Seth are mapping success the regional way, says Aniruddh Banerjee
Ask Kolkata based aroma therapist Dr. Keya Seth about her competitors and she is stumped for an all-encompassing reply. Should she name the spas in and around Kolkata or perhaps her fingers should poi....Read More

KOLKATA’S ALADIN?

The downturn came like the wish-granting genie for Chirag PC’s Kaustuv Roy. The once regional brand started flexing pan-India muscles. Aniruddh Bannerjee discovers that while a brand battle has been won, the real war is still ahead
Kaustuv Roy
Promoter, RP Group

When an indigenous range of desktops and workstations – Chirag – manufactured by a relatively unknown regional player called RP Infosystems were la....Read More

THE FARM IN ‘BISK FARM’!

From the desire to create something of his own, through the debris of failure to the delight of regional dominance, K D Paul and his brainchild ‘Bisk Farm’ have come a long way. Snehanshu Adhikari takes a look at a premium regional biscuit brand that’s giving MNCs a fright night
In the 90s, if you were a person running a mammoth distribution network in the eastern part of India, with behemoths like Nestlé, Dabur, Kellogg and Horlicks in your client list, with more than 1400 a....Read More

THE SPICE ROUTE EPILOGUE

Ever heard of a masala empire that has been felicitated by the government for being the pride of the state? Sudheendra Panda brings you the story...
From a thatched tin-roofed small hotel called Bana Hotel in the silver city of Cuttack, grew the idea of Ruchi Spices... or so it is said. It was the year 1975 (when the hotel was razed down by the go....Read More

HEALING, THE LOCAL WAY!

Monalisa Gogoi writes about how Aspoline holds it own in the consumer care market in Assam. Best is that this antiseptic cream brand doesn’t care a dime about what its other pan-India, deep-pocketed rivals are doing!
When it comes to personal care, creams are a huge revenue earning segment. And there are huge brands donning the “I sell the most” hat, with names like Boro Plus, Nivea, Ponds et al doing their bit to....Read More

‘TEA’SE THOSE BIG BRANDS!

At a time when there are tea brands aplenty in the country, Upahaar Tea has managed to make a big name for itself in Assam, sans a captive tea garden of its own. Monalisa Gogoi writes about the story of this regional flavour...
Who says you need captive tea gardens to establish a smashing packaged tea brand? Uphaar Tea of Assam is proof that one does not need a tea garden to become a bestseller in the business. The brand is ....Read More

PIPING HOT FROM ACROSS THE BORDER

SEPARATED AT BIRTH AND STILL AT LOGGERHEADS, BUT THEN THE ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT IN PAKISTAN IS AS ALIVE AS IT IS IN INDIA. THE FLAVOURS OF NEIGHBOURING PAKISTAN ARE JUST AS TANGY AND MERCURIAL. HERE’....Read More

THE ‘ALA’ WAY TO GRIN AND BEAR IT

This is the story of a smart old man in Karachi who believes in doggedly guarding the secret formula for his popular tooth powder, almost akin to the manner in which the billion dollar Coca Cola treasures the secret recipe for its cola drink! 4Ps B&M’s Shahid Husain meets SA Alavi in Karachi
The 73-year-old Chief Executive of ALA Chemicals, SA Alavi lords over his factory spread over 2 acres of prime land in Sindh Industrial Trading Estate (SITE). The man not only lays claim to monopolisi....Read More