A total of 38 different products ranging from soaps, detergents, cosmetics, incense sticks and sandalwood oil, all from Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited (KSDL), were available at the Soap Santhe, which began at the Nanjaraj Bahadur Choultry on Vinobha Road on Friday.
Soap Santhe, which will remain open from 9.30 a.m. to 8.30 p.m. every day till January 26, is part of the company’s initiative to attract more customers.
Good response
“We had a very good response on day one. We sold products worth about Rs. 2 lakh on the first day and hope to sell products worth around Rs. 30 lakh to Rs. 35 lakh during the course of the exhibition in Mysuru,” said KSDL’s Assistant General Manager (Marketing) Harish Kumar.
He said customers visiting the santhe showed a lot of interest for the products, particularly Mysore Sandal agarbathis and Kleenol, the multi purpose liquid detergent used for dish washing and floor cleaning. Earlier in the day, Mayor R. Lingappa inaugurated the Soap Santhe and offered to provide KSDL space in the limits of MCC to set up an exclusive retail outlet. Mr. Lingappa’s offer came in the wake of the efforts being made by KSDL to locate space in the central business district to set up an outlet as the existing outlet is located away from the city centre – on the Mysore Sandal factory premises in Ashokapuram.
A press statement from KSDL’s Deputy General Manager (Marketing) C.M. Suvarna Kumar said the company, which was giving stiff competition to multinational companies, was registering a steady growth year over year. After achieving a turnover of Rs. 353 crore and registering a net profit of Rs. 32 crore during 2013-14, the company has now set an ambitious target of Rs. 390 crore for 2014-15 and reached Rs. 260 crore by the end of November 2014.
He said the sale of Mysore Sandal soap, its flagship brand, was growing at the rate of 14 per cent per annum while another much-sought-after brand Mysore Sandal Gold soap was growing at the rate of 22 per cent per annum.
Costly affair
The Mysore Sandal Millenium Luxury Soap, which was launched in 2013, has become one of the most sought after premium soap in the country though it is priced at Rs. 720 per 150 gm.
Though categorised as the costliest soap in the country, the product has been well accepted by consumers due to its high quality, Mr. Kumar said.
