According to a company spokesperson, JLM has budgeted an adspend of Rs 6 crore as part of its aggressive marketing strategy. ``We have spent about Rs 4 crore towards expanding our product line and plan to do more this year. The company is also thinking of increasing its reach to semi-urban areas as part of its policy,'' he said.

It may be noted that JLM (India) has a market of almost 27 per cent in the cold cream segment and is positioned mainly against Johnson & Johnson and HLL. The company plans to increase its number of retail outlets as well as stockists to take on increased competition, the spokesperson added.

The recent joint venture, in which JLM has a 74 per cent stake wouldstart off by marketing the `Wella' range of hair dyes soon. The company has tied up with reputed beauty parlours in the country, said the spokesperson. Wella AG, the international haircolour cosmetic German company would have a 26 per cent stake. The Wella haircolour would be positioned against the much acclaimed French haircolour company L'Oreal.

The newly-formed joint venture has already received the Foreign Investment Promotion Board approval in this regard.

The personal care business of the company which is its mainline of activity has shown a satisfactory performance over the last one year. The growth was more in the fourth quarter of the year compared to the first three quarters.

According to the spokesperson, JLM plans to facilitate the introduction of several new Nivea products as per specifications of Beiersdorf AG, the owners of the Nivea brand, over the next two years.

The company for the first time has commissioned a new plant at Waluj, in the Auranagabad district of Maharashtra tomanufacture the Nivea brand of products.

Earlier addressing shareholders at the company's annual general meeting here on Monday, chairman Raghu Modi said that the company expects that the growth rate of Nivea products would be sustained in the current year through its marketing initiatives.

``The company had relaunched Nivea fairness cream with licorice in the biggest segment of the skin care market. It also launched the Nivea soap with skin care lipids which fared well during the last few months,'' said Modi. It also increased its share in the high-growth men's toiletries category had launched Nivea for men--after shavelotion, he added.

In its health care segment, sales of Emoform grew steadily during the year and under the brand, the company decided to introduce several new products in agreement with and as per specifications of Dr Wild, Switzerland. It also re-launched its Wisdom toothbrushes with international product and packaging design.

JLM is in the process of reviewing the component of itsMorisons Baby range sales in the current year.

The company reported a sales income of Rs 31.22 crore in the year 1998-99 compared to Rs 32.79 crore in the previous fiscal. Its net profits grew marginally to Rs 54 lakh in 1998-99 as against Rs 42 lakh the previous year. The company declared a dividend of 12 per cent for the year 1998-99. JLM transferred its registered office from Bangalore to Calcutta.