There is no stopping Ramdev and his empire of soap, noodles, and toothpaste.
The yoga guru, who is the face of the Rs10,561-crore consumer goods giant Patanjali, knows that its bottles of hair oil, shampoo, and gooseberry juice are stealing the thunder from foreign rivals.
Yet, Ramdev thinks multinational companies (MNCs) like Unilever, Colgate, and Nestle are still not taking Patanjali seriously.
At a recent event held in the capital, in his usual caustic style, he said his company’s products such as honey and ghee have stolen a march over rivals. “Global CEOs are sleeping peacefully saying Patanjali’s market share is small. But that is not true. We are leaders in many categories already,” Ramdev told The Economic Times newspaper.
Currently, Patanjali, which sells over 500 products, has a 14% market share in oral care and 15% in hair oil, according to data shared by the company with news publications.
“Patanjali has broken the stranglehold of multinational companies,” Bloomberg quoted Ramdev as saying. “I want India to be free of the hold of foreign companies,” he said.
The company, which has declared war on products sold by foreign firms, often calling them harmful and full of chemicals, plans to further dominate the market, though its own products have come under the scanner of Indian authorities over quality issues. Its rivals, on their part, are fighting back with a range of herbal and natural products.
But they will need to do more.
Ramdev’s Haridwar-based company, which has doubled its turnover in the last fiscal, now plans to become the largest brand for indigenously-made goods in the next two years. For that, it is investing heavily in manufacturing units that will boost its pan-India presence. It also plans to expand its reach and distribution.
That’s not all. Soon, Patanjali will launch a chain of restaurants to take on fast-food chains such as McDonald’s and KFC, disrupting yet another industry, Ramdev told reporters without revealing details.
Prepare for more of Patanjali versus everyone else.