Raymond Group, led by Gautam Singhania, has entered the energy drink business with the introduction of KS E Drink, which is an extension of its fast moving consumer goods brand KamaSutra (KS).
At present, the energy drink market in India is estimated at Rs.200 crore and is growing at 33 per cent per year. Raymond is targeting 20 per cent of this fast growing market, top company officials said.
The energy drink has been launched by JK Ansell Ltd., a 50:50 joint venture between Raymond and Ansell International of Australia. JK Ansell also has a range of deodorants since 2008.
“Over the years, Raymond has epitomised the picture of the alpha male who is bold, fun, adventurous and energetic. In keeping with this positioning of the brand, we launched KamaSutra in 1991. The energy drink is the newest addition to the KS product portfolio that strengthens this bold and young positioning of the brand and thus becomes a natural extension for the KS brand,” said Gautam Singhania, Chairman & Managing Director, Raymond.
“We strongly believe that there is a huge market opportunity. More products are in the pipeline,” he added.
Available in X- Fruit, a mixed fruit flavour and X- Berry which is a mixed berry flavour, the KS E Drink is priced at Rs.95 a 250 ml can. It will be initially launched across metro cities over the next six months.
The production has been outsourced.
“The energy drinks business represents a new diversification for JK Ansell. Establishing presence in this category in terms of availability and reach is a key focus area in the first few months of business.
“We expect energy drinks to become a significant line of business, contributing considerably to the company revenues in the next few years,” said Ranju Kumar Mohan, Director & Business Head, JK Ansell Ltd.
