Parle remains the top FMCG brand in India: Report

New Delhi: Homegrown biscuit brand Parle remained the most chosen brand among fast-moving consumer products in India in 2021, topping the rankings for the tenth year in a row, according to Kantar India’s annual Brand Footprint report released on Thursday.

The report ranked the most chosen FMCG brands of 2021 based on Consumer Reach Points (CRP’s). CRP is measured based on the actual purchase made by consumers and the frequency at which these purchases are made in a calendar year. In other words, CRP measures the mass appeal of the brand reflected in penetration of the brand and the consumer feel towards the brand reflected in the number of times it is bought. 

This is the 10th year of Kantar’s Brand Footprint ranking.

Amul, Britannia, Clinic Plus and Tata Consumer Products are the other top brands on the list after Parle. With a CRP score of 6531 (million), Parle holds the top spot for a record 10th year in a row. Parle reported a 14% growth in CRP compared to the previous year’s rankings. Meanwhile, CRP of Amul grew 9% while that of Britannia increased 14% in the current rankings compared to the year ago period.

Meanwhile, packaged foods brand Haldiram’s joined the billion CRP club and entered the top 25 ranking at number 24. Anmol (biscuits and cake brand) also joined the CRP club.

The number of brands reporting growth in CRP improved in 2021 over 2020, thanks in part to improved mobility post the second wave of the pandemic.

“Overall consumer reach points (CRP’s) have increased from 89 billion to 98 billion with the growth rate going up from 3% in 2020 to 9% in 2021. This growth in CRP’s is driven by food, health and beauty and beverages categories. As shadow of lockdowns fade, purchase frequency improves leading to CRP growth,” Kantar Worldpanel said in its Brand Footprint India report.

Meanwhile, bigger brands benefitted from a faster growth in CRPs.

“Big brands i.e. those with over 61% penetration levels, grew the fastest with over 8% growth in 2021 over 2020,” the report said.

Some snacking brands grew over 30%, with Balaji growing by 49%, followed by Kurkure at 45% and Bingo at 37%. Within beverage brands, Nescafe registered a 19% growth in CRP followed by Boost at 15%.

Consumer choice is a function of penetration as well as frequency, and this year as consumers returned to the marketplace in droves after tightening conditions in the by-gone year, frequency jumped significantly, which is reflected in the big jumps most brands took in their CRPs, said K. Ramakrishnan, Managing Director, South Asia, Worldpanel Division at Kantar.

Brand Footprint 2022 that mapped 2021 rankings covered brands within the food, home care, health and beauty, beverages and dairy measuring over 400 brands and 98 billion CRPs.