Pulse to lock horns with Frooti, Maaza with its 'Pulse Mango, Masala Maar Ke'
Pulse to lock horns with Frooti, Maaza with its 'Pulse Mango, Masala Maar Ke'

Pulse Candy, who literally rocked the Indian confectionary marked with its tangy and fruity flavour candies, has now decided to lock horns with Frooti, Maaza and Slice. Noida-based DS Group, the maker of Catch, Pass Pass and Pulse candy, is now rolling- up its sleeves to float its ready-to-drink mango beverage called 'Pulse Mango, Masala Maar Ke'.

The move has certainly set an alarm ringing for Frooti, Maaza and Slice which are apparently the leaders in this segment. Currently, the company has put a price cap of Rs 15 for a 250 ml pet bottle and had distributed the samples in Delhi and NCR region as a part of its test marketing. Informing about the development, Shashank Surana, Senior VP, DS Group said that the test marketing activity is being supported by sampling and displays and the initial consumer feedback is very encouraging.

Presently, the Indian soft drink market is valued at Rs 14, 500 crore and out of which, the juice market occupies the share of Rs 5, 000 crore with an year-on-year growth rate of 15 per cent. It includes beverages such as Maaza by Coca-Cola, Frooti by Parle Agro, Slice and Nimbooz by PepsiCo and Paper Boat Aam Panna of Hector Beverages. However, the juice segment is dominated by the read-to-drink mango beverages accounting for 80 per cent share in the pool.

The Rs 7,700-crore DS Group conglomerate, with interests in tobacco, F&B and agro forestry , had enjoyed several successful brand extensions earlier. The 'Catch' brand -under which it launched tabletop salt and pepper dispensers in 1987 -went on to sell flavoured water, soda and ginger ale later. Its mouth freshener brand 'Pass Pass' was repositioned in 2012 to sell a wider portfolio of confectionary products such as chewing gums and mints.

 
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