Reliance Consumer Products (RCPL) on Saturday announced the acquisition of a majority stake in Sydney-headquartered beverage company Goodness Group Global, marking its entry into the Australian consumer goods market. The company did not disclose the deal size.
Significantly, this is the first international acquisition for RCPL since entering fast-moving consumer good (FMCG) about three years ago. While domestically, the company has built its base through a combination of in-house brands and acquisition of legacy labels such as Campa, Ravalgaon, Udhaiyam’s and Sil, internationally RCPL had done mostly distribution partnerships and acquisition of global rights excluding a few markets of personal care brands Brylcreem, Toni & Guy, Badedas and Matey, which it announced recently.
Goodness Group’s portfolio
The Goodness Group’s portfolio includes health-focused beverage brands, including Nexba and PACE. PACE is a hydration drink co-created with Australian cricketer Pat Cummins. While flagship Nexba focuses on gut-health drinks using plant-based, zero-calorie sweeteners.
“This strategic partnership is a bold step towards establishing RCPL as a global FMCG company from India,” T. Krishnakumar, director, Reliance Consumer, said. “With our strong supply chain and distribution capabilities, RCPL will ensure expansion of Goodness Group’s brands across newer markets and wide availability in India,” he said.
Reliance Consumer has been steadily expanding its FMCG footprint beyond India, with operations in markets such as the UAE, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Nepal and Sri Lanka. The Australia deal, said experts, adds another overseas market as the company builds a broader global presence in food and beverages.
During its Q3 results, Reliance had said that two of its major consumer-focused bets—quick commerce and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG)—had begun generating profits, aided by the company’s scale in sourcing and a sharper focus on higher-margin categories.
FMCG business expansion
The company is also eyeing a gross revenue of Rs 20,000 crore by the end of FY26 after touching Rs 15,000 crore in topline at the end of nine months of the year. The FMCG business is led by over Rs 1,000-crore brands such as Campa (beverages), Campa Energy (energy drinks), Independence (staples) and Good Life (food staples). The company will now step up its focus on beauty, personal care, food and edible oils as it looks to grow its presence across categories.
In foods, the company is likely to take Udhaiyam’s ready-to-cook and staple products outside of southern India, something that rival Orkla India is doing with its MTR brand. The company recently relaunched the SIL food brand, best-known for its sauces and jams, in select cities, adding instant noodles to the portfolio.