Elaborate the laundry detergent market in India:

The laundry detergent market started in 1888 when Lever Brother started exporting “Sunlight”
laundry soap to India. After that company launched various brands in India in 1918, which started
the epoch of branded FMCG in India. Following the trend, many brands launched their products in
India.

Laundry detergent, a 99 billion market, with a CAGR of 8.4% during 2004-2009, was the largest
segment that FMCG operated. The projected forecast for 2021-2026 for this market is 4%.

Various brands that control the Indian markets are:

P&G: P&G India came into existence in 1985 when Richardson Hindustan Ltd. became the affiliate of
Procter & Gamble, the USA, for its Vicks range of products. After the liberalization of the Indian
economy in 1991, P&G set up its subsidiary in India and launched its compact detergent brand, Ariel.
Compact detergents provided better cleaning performance while reducing the amount of detergent
needed per wash.

P&G launched Tide detergent in India in 2000. Tide was P&G’s largest global brand in its portfolio of
334 brands. It was positioned on the platform of ‘‘outstanding whiteness’’ owing to its anti-
redeposition technology.

HUL: In late 1990s, HUL re-launched Surf Ultra; Surf Ultra was renamed Surf Excel by HUL in the late
1990s. The stain removal strategy was kept the same. Surf Excel, which had a 65 percent market
share in the premium segment compared to 30 percent for Ariel in the early 2000s, began to
plateau. HUL improved the quality of Surf and Wheel while also lowering the price of Surf Excel by
15%. HUL renamed Surf to Surf Excel Blue in order to bring the franchise together and improve Surf
Excel's brand identity. Surf Excel Blue was marketed as a stain-removal product that did not fade the
colour.

Nirma and Ghari: In 1969, Karsanbhai Patel, an entrepreneur in Gujarat launched “Nirma” a yellow-
colored detergent powder at a price one-third of HUL’s Surf. Nirma was an instant success. For being
a cottage industry, Nirma received many tax and labour reductions. Nirma remained practically
uncontested for more than a decade as it targeted rural markets, offered generous trade margins,
and broadcast catchy commercials on TV and radio. By 1985, Nirma had surpassed HUL's Surf as the
leading detergent brand, with a 58 percent market share (by volume).

Ghari first concentrated on its native market, Uttar Pradesh, a northern state. With a population of
167 million people, Uttar Pradesh accounted for nearly 12% of the country's FMCG sales. Thus, Uttar
Pradesh was home to 900 of the country's 3,000 Ghari dealers, as well as nine of the company's 18
manufacturing facilities. It spread out to other states after securing its home base. Uttar Pradesh,
Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra accounted for over 60% of Ghari's sales in 2010.