Himalaya aims to define wellness market in India

 The Himalaya Drug Company has set its eyes on defining the Rs 14k-crore wellness market in India. “The wellness market is extremely evolved in the developed world, and the same trend will take India sooner rather than later,” said Philip Haydon, CEO of The Himalaya Drug company.

The company recently launched in India its wellness range, which is an addition to its existing four lines of personal care, pharmaceuticals, animal care and baby care. “The new range caters specifically to softer therapeutic areas for which people are now seeking treatments by themselves. It consists of products for joint pain, skin disorders, bowel disorders, and immunity, among others,” he said.

Since herbal products need not necessarily be prescribed, the products in the range have been labelled carefully to educate the consumer about its efficacy. “As per the Drugs and Magic Remedies Act, we have ensured that we make no fancy claims, and just offer relevant and sufficient information to the consumer,” he said.

The new range includes products under two broad categories of pure herbs in tablet forms and general medication in oils and ointments. “Pure herb neem for skin care is going to be the best seller,” he said. The company plans to set up its Himalaya Wellness Zones across the 2,000-plus supermarkets it is sold in to display Himalaya’s wellness range exclusively.

“In two years, the wellness range should be present in at least 5,000 stores across India. Currently, the wellness range takes up 3-4 per cent of the Himalaya product portfolio. This is going to reach 20 per cent in the next five years as many products are still in the pipeline,” he said.

The wellness range is set to fetch Rs 100 crore within the first year of its launch, said the CEO. “We expect these revenues to further double in the succeeding year,” he said. The company is set to close FY2015-16 with a Rs 2,000 crore topline, and is targeting a growth of 25 per cent for the next fiscal.

All is well

Himalaya plans to expand from the current 2,000 stores to 5,000 in the next two years

Wellness range to go up to 20% ofHimalaya’s product portfolio in the nex five years

The company is set to close FY16with Rs 2,000 crore in revenues