The jump in sales is good news, which had last year warned it might trim production as well as workforce amid slowing economic growth and falling demand
MUMBAI| Parle G has set a straight record in this Coronavirus pandemic lockdown. Fast-moving consumer goods maker Parle Products recorded a surge in sales of its Parle-G biscuits, backed by the strong demand for the Rs 5 packs during March through May.
The demand for Parle-G was boosted as the biscuits came handy for people working from home as well as migrant workers returning to their homes during the nationwide lockdown which began on March 25. The jump in sales is good news for the country’s largest biscuit maker, which had last year warned it might trim production as well as workforce amid slowing economic growth and falling demand.
A downturn in Asia’s third-largest economy is denting sales of everything from cars to clothing, forcing companies to curtail production and raising hopes that the government will unveil an economic stimulus to revive growth.
The sales of Parle-G biscuits jumped like never before in the eight decades. The makers of Parle-G refused to share specific sales rate.
Mayank Shah, senior category head, Parle Products said, “The company gained a market share of around 5 per cent in the highly competitive biscuit segment, with an unprecedented 80-90 per cent of growth coming from the Parle-G sales.”
Parle-G biscuits priced the lowest as Rs 5 per pack and were also in demand among government agencies and non-government organisation (NGOs) working to distribute food relief packages to people during the pandemic.
Mr Shah told Press Trust of India, The value pack of Rs 2 is considered a good source of glucose.
Shah told PTI, “The growth was phenomenal and as a result, Parle was able to increase its market share by 4.5 to 5 per cent during the lockdown.”
Mr Shah said this is one of the company’s best performances in recent times. Shah also said he hasn’t seen “a performance like this” in his 20 years with Parle. Parle-G is comfort food for most Indians and not a biscuit. Shah further added the product is consumed a lot during the time of uncertainty. The sales of Parle-G biscuits have gone up even during crises such as tsunami and earthquakes.
Mr Shah told PTI, Parle-G biscuits also gained traction due to their economic proposition with a value package of Rs 2 besides being considered as a good source of glucose.
After the ultimate surge in business actor Randeep Hooda requested Parle-G to look into the package and change it as it’s caused environment.
Hooda tweeted, “My whole career is feuled by chai and Parle-G since theater days.. Can you imagine how much less single-use plastic waste there will be if just Parle-G changed its packing to an alternate biodegradable material? Now the sales are up let’s see the contribution to a better Tom too.”
My whole career is feuled by chai and Parle-G since theater days.. Can you imagine how much less single use plastic waste there will be if just Parle-G changed its packing to an alternate biodegradable material? Now the sales are up let’s see the contribution to a better Tom too pic.twitter.com/mHdZhbr7X9
— Randeep Hooda (@RandeepHooda) June 9, 2020
The spike in Parle-G packets comes at a time when demand for biscuits from the likes of Britannia’s Good Day and Bourbon to Parle’s Krackjack, Monaco and Hide & Seek has seen a massive surge in sales volumes in the past three months.
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