Patanjali will shut the gate in Colgate, make Nestle's bird disappear: Baba Ramdev

NEW DELHI: Baba Ramdev has thrown down the gauntlet at his FMCG rivals, predicting that Patanjali Ayurved had the potential to upstage big names Colgate, Unilever and Nestle in a matter of few years.

"Colgate will be below Patanjali by this year, and in three years, we will overtake Unilever," Ramdev told reporters while announcing Patanjali Ayurved's Rs 1,000-crore investment plan this year for setting up five or six new processing units in Assam, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.


Also Read: Acharya Balkrishna: The man who owns 94% of Patanjali Ayurved

"Patanjali will shut the 'gate' in Colgate. The birds in Nestle's nest (logo) will also fly away," Ramdev said in a direct dig at his rivals.

"Pantene ka to pant gila hone wala hai, aur do saal me Unilever ka lever kharab ho jayega,” the yoga guru said, mocking his competitors.

When asked whether his firm was eating into the market share of MNCs, Ramdev said: "We are totally vegetarian."

The Ayurveda-based company, which has been growing exponentially in the last four years, plans to venture into exports and e-commerce this year.

"We will be exporting honey and cosmetics to 10-12 countries, including US, Britain, Canada, African and Arab countries," said Patanjali managing director Acharya Balkrishna.

The company also wants to expand its product base to dairy products and yoga clothing.

Ramdev is drawing up a strategic plan to launch a pincer movement on MNCs. On one hand, he is planning to open Patanjali mega stores across India starting with Nagpur and Lucknow, while on the other he has readied a premium brand 'Soundarya' to take on the likes of big cosmetics brands such as L'Oreal and Maybelline.

Patanjali reached its revenue target of Rs 5,000 crore for the year ended March 31, said Balkrishna.

"We have made profits of 8-12%," he said. "And we are just getting started. Wherever we see MNCs taking advantage of Indian consumers, we will enter that segment with better quality natural products and affordable pricing. At the same time, we need to get more competitive in modern trade. These mega stores will help us get there," he said.

The proposed Patanjali mega stores that will sell everything from noodles and biscuits to ayurvedic medicines and ghee, will measure around 5,000 square feet, according to Balkrishna. Currently, apart from e-commerce channels, Patanjali products are sold through 1,200 Ayurvedic Chikitsalayas, 2,500 Arogya Kendras and 8,000 Swadeshi Kendras. Add to that thousands of kirana stores across the country and partnerships with modern retail chains such as Big Bazaar.

with TNN inputs


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