Godrej Consumer Products Limited (GCPL) is an Indian Multinational

consumer goods A final good or consumer good is a final product ready for sale that is used by the consumer to satisfy current wants or needs, unlike an intermediate good, which is used to produce other goods. A microwave oven or a bicycle is a final good. W ...

company based in Mumbai, India. GCPL's products include

soap Soap is a salt (chemistry), salt of a fatty acid (sometimes other carboxylic acids) used for cleaning and lubricating products as well as other applications. In a domestic setting, soaps, specifically "toilet soaps", are surfactants usually u ...

, hair colourants,

toiletries Personal care products are consumer products which are applied on various external parts of the body such as skin, hair, nails, lips, external genital and anal areas, as well as teeth and mucous membrane of the oral cavity, in order to make th ...

and liquid detergents. Its brands include 'Cinthol', 'Godrej Fair Glow', 'Godrej No.1' and 'Godrej Shikakai' in soaps, 'Godrej Powder Hair Dye', 'Renew', 'ColourSoft' in hair colourants and 'Ezee' liquid detergent. GCPL operates several manufacturing facilities in India spread over seven locations and grouped into four operating clusters at Malanpur (Madhya Pradesh), Guwahati (Assam), Baddi- Thana (Himachal Pradesh), Baddi- Katha (Himachal Pradesh), Pondicherry, Chennai and Sikkim. On January 16, 2024, Godrej Consumer Products Limited launched the liquid detergent Godrej Fab in southern India.

History

The consumer products business was part of the erstwhile Godrej Soaps Limited (GSL) and was demerged into Godrej Consumer Products Limited in April 2001, pursuant to a scheme of demerger approved by the Honorable High Court of Judicature, Mumbai, dated 14 March 2001.

Acquisitions

GCPL has bought out foreign companies such as Keyline Brands Limited (United Kingdom) in 2005, Rapidol (Pty) Limited in 2006, and Godrej Global Mid East FZE in 2007 and Argencos in Argentina, and later acquired Cosmética Nacional, a Chilean company. In 2015, Godrej announced it had fully acquired a 100% equity stake in South African hair extensions firm Frika Hair.

Business categories

GCPL operates in the domestic and international markets in the 'personal and household care' segment. Some of the categories are soaps, hair colourants, professional hair care products, toiletries and liquid detergents. In 2012, it made an entry into fast-growing air freshener category by launching a new fragrance product "aer" in the market.

Competition

* In the soaps category, GCPL brands compete with

Lux The lux (symbol: lx) is the unit of illuminance, or luminous flux per unit area, in the International System of Units (SI). It is equal to one lumen per square metre. In photometry, this is used as a measure of the irradiance, as perceived by ...

and

Lifebuoy A lifebuoy or life ring, among many other names (see § Other names), is a life-saving buoy designed to be thrown to a person in water to provide buoyancy and prevent drowning. Some modern lifebuoys are fitted with one or more seawater-activat ...

(

Hindustan Unilever Limited Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) is an Indian fast-moving consumer goods company, headquartered in Mumbai. It is a subsidiary of the Anglo-Dutch company Unilever. Its products include foods, beverages, cleaning agents, personal care products a ...

). * In the hair colours category, its products compete for market share with Black Rose, Super Vasmol and L’Oreal. * Competitors in shaving cream category are

Gillette Gillette is an American brand of safety razors and other personal care products including shaving supplies, owned by the multi-national corporation Procter & Gamble (P&G). Based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, it was owned by The Gil ...

, Palmolive and

Old Spice Old Spice is an American brand offering male grooming products including aftershaves, deodorants and antiperspirants, shampoos, body washes, shaving cream, and soaps. It is manufactured by Procter & Gamble. Old Spice was launched as Early Amer ...

. * GCPL's talcum powder brands, compete with

Pond's Pond's is an English brand of beauty and health care products, currently owned by Unilever. History Pond's Cream was invented in the United States as a patent medicine by pharmacist Theron T. Pond (1800–1852) of Utica, New York, in 1846. M ...

(HUL) and

Denim Denim is a sturdy cotton warp-faced textile in which the weft passes under two or more Warp (weaving), warp threads. This twill weave produces a diagonal ribbing that distinguishes it from cotton duck. Denim, as it is recognized today, was f ...

. * In the liquid detergent category, GCPL brands Ezee and Genteel, compete with Safewash (

Wipro Wipro Limited () is an Indian multinational technology company based in Bengaluru. It provides information technology, consulting and business process services. It is one of India's Big Six IT services companies. Wipro's services include cloud ...

) and

Surf Excel Surf Excel is a washing powder brand that is currently as the counterpart brand of OMO detergent in the India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historical ...

(HUL).

Manufacturing facilities

GCPL operates several manufacturing facilities in India spread over seven locations and grouped into four operating clusters at Malanpur (Madhya Pradesh), Guwahati (Assam), Baddi- Thana (Himachal Pradesh), Baddi- Katha (Himachal Pradesh), Pondicherry, Chennai and Sikkim. Further, its manufacturing facilities located abroad in South Africa produce a range of personal care products and hair colour products.

Sales and distribution network

GCPL has a widespread distribution network across India. It makes sales in both urban and rural markets, enabling it to benefit from the opportunities in both segments. It has a sales team of over 250 staff spread across the country. It has a network of 33 C&F agents and as on 29 February 2008. It had 1,247 distributors, 142 super stockists and 3,175 sub stockists to support the sales team in India. Its distributors and sub stockists cover around 650,000 retailers in India. GCPL has linked its major distributors in India through a system called 'Sampark', a collaborative planning, forecasting and replenishment system with its ERP system leading to reduced inventory levels.

Research and development

GCPL's R&D departments focus on developing new products, standardising new analytical methods and finding cheaper and more abundant alternatives to key raw materials. Through this research and development centre, GCPL continuously interact with consumers to obtain feedback on its products and information obtained is leveraged to complement new product development activities. The Godrej Research & Development Centre is recognised by the Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi.

Size of the company

As of 2014, GCPL employs 21,000 employees.

References

External links

* Manufacturing companies based in Mumbai Indian soap brands Personal care companies of India Godrej Group 2001 establishments in Madhya Pradesh Indian companies established in 2001 Companies listed on the National Stock Exchange of India Companies listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange {{India-company-stub