Banking on good Monsoon for a better H2: Wipro Consumer

New Delhi: Demand perspective for consumer products in the market has improved a little bit but challenges still persist and a good monsoon can help see a better second half of the year in smaller towns and rural areas, said Wipro Consumer Care and Lighting CEO Vineet Agrawal.

The company is also not unduly perturbed by the entry of Reliance in the FMCG segment as consumer preferences are very strong in the segment with very strong brand loyalty, said Agrawal who is also the Managing Director of Wipro Enterprises. Growth from smaller towns and rural areas continues to be a challenge for FMCG players, though the situation is improving, he said. From the demand perspective, the market has improved a "little bit but it is still a challenge", Agrawal said.

"It's not like the good old pre-Covid era and I think smaller towns and rural areas are still a bit of a challenge but things are improving. Hopefully, if the monsoon is good, we will see a better second half. Fortunately, the cost prices have come down, initially, they jumped last year due to the Ukraine war. We are seeing positive things as far as the market is concerned," he said. Wipro Consumer Care and Lighting, which owns brands such as sandalwood soap brand Santoor and female toiletries brand Enchanteur, has already extended the benefits to customers in some segments. "We already dropped the prices in soap, for example, we were selling at (Rs) 38 for 100 gm, reduced to (Rs) 36. We have done price corrections," he said.