Mars Wrigley India expects business to double every 5 years till 2042

“The focus is on ensuring that we have the talent and capacity to be ready for growth in 2025-26, as by then the business will be close to double of where we are. Every 4-5 years, we should be able to double, but we need to be ready for that growth by 2025-26. A lot of management’s focus is on that — to meet demand. So, lines should be ready, products should be ready, talent should be there,” Kalpesh Parmar, country general manager, Mars Wrigley India, said in an interview during a visit to the company’s chocolate factory in Pune.

On Monday, Mars Wrigley launched a locally made Galaxy Fusion dark chocolate variant in India. Though it is a late entrant in India 27,000 crore chocolate and confectionery market, which is dominated by the likes of Mondelez, Nestle, ITC and Amul, it began locally producing its flagship Snickers brand in 2016, followed by Galaxy chocolates at the Pune plant in October 2021.

Mars Wrigley has invested more 1,000 crore for its three factories in India so far.

He added that a growing business will also translate into increased investment in the future – especially in expansion of distribution network and capacity. Currently, the firm imports Mars and Twix and Skittles and M&M products, but packages them in India.

“Over the past few years, the growth has been very good. We are in the process of finalizing (investments), but we should keep increasing our capacity every five years, possibly for the next 20 years.”

Mars Wrigley will make substantial investment in capacity expansion at Pune and Baddi units. “Our portfolio is growing well. We have excess capacity in Bengaluru, but we should be expanding the Baddi and Pune facilities within the next two to three years.

Globally, the company has a large pet care business that sells the Pedigree and Royal Canin brands. Its flagship portfolio in India includes Snickers, Galaxy and Boomer. “Between Snickers and Galaxy, we will have a big business in chocolate in the future,” he said.

While Mars Wrigley’s business in India is still small, it was projected to be one of the fastest growing markets for the company globally in 2022. The decision to expand its business comes amid rising demand for packaged foods in post-pandemic India, as consumer demand for a variety of convenient foods is on the rise. However, despite strong demand, companies are facing inflationary headwinds.

Parmar said, “Inflationary pressures are being felt globally, and we have made some price adjustments, but we will always offer high quality treats at the best possible value for money and double down on that commitment “

Meanwhile, commenting on the Indian business, Parmar said domestic demand would remain strong for the next decade.

“We see a long runway (in India), we don’t see any concerns. I think the concern is making sure we have the supply, we build our factories, we meet that growth. increase capacity to do.”