Urban consumption recovery still some time away: P&G Hygiene and Health Care CFO
recovery is still some time away as the recent government interventions to ease the financial challenges of consumers in these markets will take time to bear results, said
Procter & Gamble
Hygiene and Health Care Ltd chief financial officer
Mrinalini Srinivasan
.
Talking to analysts in a call on Thursday, Srinivasan said the company will continue to hold a 'cautiously optimistic outlook' on demand. 'Rural demand recovery is healthy with a good monsoon. But urban demand is not following the same trend. It will take some time for the government interventions to show results on demand,' she said.
The government in the Budget for 2025-26 has reduced income tax rates to free up disposable cash for consumers in the middle income group and also taken other measures to control food inflation, including a recent reduction in import duty on edible oil.
The world's biggest consumer goods maker Procter & Gamble (P&G) operates in India through four companies—pharmaceutical firm P&G Health, shaving products maker
Gillette
, P&G Hygiene and Health Care, and P&G Home Products.
Srinivasan said the company is a market leader with over 50% market share in its core business areas of feminine hygiene sold through Whisper and cough and cold through Vicks.
'We still have significant opportunities for growth based on
consumption
, innovation and increasing household penetration. For instance, in feminine hygiene the category penetration is still less than 50% in India,' she said.
P&G is also witnessing small brands in direct-to-consumer and unorganized trade growing in feminine hygiene, but at a national level they still have less than 10% market share.
Gillette India chief financial officer Srividya Srinivasan also told analysts in a separate call on Thursday that the Gillette brand has further strengthened leadership in blades and razors this year. She said the company wants to cater to the grooming needs of male consumers which has become personalized.
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