Bikaneri Namkeen hits $1 billion sweet spot

Brands owned by three Agarwal families, all from Bikaner, sold savoury snacks worth $1 billion in calendar 2018, cornering over a quarter of India’s overall packaged snacks market and more than half the desi namkeen segment.

Haldiram, Bikaji and Bikanervala had combined sales of Rs 7,042 crore in the year as per Nielsen data sourced from industry officials. In fact, these three added nearly Rs 1,500 crore of incremental sales just last year thanks to the increasing consumer preference for packaged namkeen over western snacks such as potato chips. So, what helped the Agarwal community from the western state of Rajasthan outpace companies such as PepsiCo and ITC?

“Bhujia business is in our blood and we have been doing it for 80 years. With the entire family involved, there is a higher sense of brand ownership, which no company professional can match,” said Kamal Agarwal, 45, a fourthgeneration member of the Haldiram founding family. “Decisionmaking is fast and we understand the pulse of the market in terms of consumer taste.”

Source:-https://retail.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/food-entertainment/food-services/bikaneri-namkeen-hits-1-billion-sweet-spot/68748504