FMCG Q1 check: Some hot, some not

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

consumer goods, even as top industry executives said green shoots are becoming conspicuous in rural consumption.

Sales volumes in categories like cold beverages, ice creams, talcum powder, cooling hair oils, deodorants and sunscreens rose up to 15 per cent from a year earlier in the quarter amid severe heatwave conditions, according to companies and analyst reports. However, sales of impulse packaged snacks and single-serve packs of beverages took a hit, as harsh weather caused a fall in out-of-home consumption. Sales of household insecticides too was impacted due to delayed onset of monsoon.

Election-related restrictions on sales andsupply-side constraints limited sales of alcohol beverages such as beer from reaching their full peak, though there was still a high-single digit volume expansion, industry executives said.


Consumer companies said last-mile servicing was also an issue, especially in rural areas. “Wholesalers complained that many sales staff didn’t come out to service retailers due to the heat,” Wipro Consumer Care & Lighting chief executive Vineet Agrawal told ET.