Future expects `Ektaa' to be Rs 100-cr food brand in 2-3 yrs

MUMBAI: Even as retail to financial services provider Future Group is riding high on the success of its private food brands, the Group expects its 'Ektaa' brand to clock a Rs 100-crore turnover in the next 2-3 years, a top company official has said.

"All our private food brands are doing very well and contribute around 20-25 per cent of the overall food business, which again is a growing category for the Group. We expect Ekta to become a Rs 100-crore brand in the next 2-3 years," Future Group Head (Private Brands) Devendra Chawla told PTI.

Future Group, that bagged the Golden Spoon award for the second time in a row at Food Forum India as the best retailer for private label this year, is the first retailer to create a brand that would bring different Indian communities together and celebrate their diverse culinary tastes.

Ektaa was introduced in the market last August and has so far launched five variants of rice -- Red Matta from Kerala, Sona Masoori from Andhra Pradesh, Govind Bhog from West Bengal and Basmati from Punjab, at Big Bazaar and Food Bazaar outlets in 1 kg and 5 kg packages, respectively. It has also launched a few pulses.

The Group is now looking at adding more categories into the brand, Chawla said, adding there is a huge opportunity in the regional food categories.

"There is a huge opportunity out there in different states with each community having around 20 different categories. However, these categories are in the unorganised sector and our focus is identify these authentic native food categories and sell under branded labels," Chawla said, citing example of a `khakra' (a local snack) market in Gujarat.