🍪 Behind the Sweet Success of Marie Gold, Good Day, Little Hearts
Britannia is older than colour photos, instant coffee, teddy bears! How is it still relevant after 132 years?
Chai and Marie Gold- A typical combination for a chai break.
And just like your cup of chai, this mass favourite biscuit also has British influence!
In 1924 (32 years after it started), Britannia became a subsidiary of a UK-based biscuit major Peek, Frean & Co.
But, is Britannia still a British Brand?
Post-independence, India mandated MNCs to reduce stakes in the country.
So in 1978, Britannia came out with a public issue, increasing Indian investors’ shareholding to 60%+.
Since then, many people have fought for the company’s majority stakes. And why not!
Britannia had a track record of serving iconic products:
When the Indian economy opened its doors in the 90s, new players entered the market.
To beat competition, Britannia added a bunch of cool products like Tiger, NutriChoice, Little Hearts and 50-50.
This helped them reach a turnover of Rs. 1000 Cr in 2000!
Keeping up with changing consumer trends and preferences, they have launched new categories - Wafers, Croissants, Snacking and Drinks.
They entered into a Joint Venture with Chipita in 2018 - a global leader in long shelf life filled Croissants and a joint venture in 2022 with Bel SA, a global leader in branded cheese.
Yes, even the best needs to keep investing and learning to remain the best!
The Co. increased its own manufacturing to 65% in 2022-23, up from 35% in 2013-14. This built structural cost efficiencies for them.
The company has also strengthened its distribution:
Results?
As a result, the company also managed to give good returns to its investors over the years…
Which is your favourite Biscuit of Britannia!?