HLL to strengthen fabric wash brands

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Mumbai, Apr 10: In a strategic move, India’s largest FMCG company Hindustan Lever Ltd (HLL) is readying a two-pronged plan to strengthen its fabric wash portfolio against arch rival Procter & Gamble India (P&G).

First, it is migrating its flagship brand Rin Supreme bar to the premium brand Surf Excel bar to strengthen its presence in the Rs 4,500 crore Indian fabric wash-category.

Next, it will also launch its international fabric care brands Comfort and Domestos to take on P&G's Ariel & Tide.

To announce the merger of Rin Supreme with Surf Excel bars, the Rs 12,000 crore HLL has rolled out an extensive multi-media advertising campaign. According to industry analysts, HLL has merged its two fabric wash brands (bar) to sustain its leadership in the fabric wash category.

“HLL has become more aggressive to fight out competition in this sector. Currently, HLL’s Rin competes with P&G’s Tide while Surf Excel directly competes with P&G's Ariel in the premium wash category,” added analysts. In the international marketing arena, Unilever and Proctor & Gamble are now slugging it out for market share.

According to an HLL spokesperson, the rationale behind HLL’s recent move is, “The migration was done to enable better differentiation of brands within the existing portfolio. Rin Supreme was on the stain removal platform which goes with the Surf Excel platform of stain removal and therefore the migration was synergistic.”

According to the HLL spokesperson, this move will build on the brand recall that Surf Excel enjoys at the top end of the fabric wash category.