Britannia Industries Ltd. is keen to invest in West Bengal, the State from where it began its journey over a century ago. The state government has said that the company is likely to invest around ₹350 crore and suitable land allotment would be made to BIL. Cabinet nod had already been given, the government said.
When contacted, Britannia said that the investment proposal was across its product categories and would be in phases. “We have submitted an investment proposal to the West Bengal government and initial discussions following due protocol have taken place. The investment proposal is across multiple-phases and across our product categories,” Vinay Singh Kushwaha, head - Supply Chain, told The Hindu in an email response.
Although best known for biscuits, BIL is present across many segments including cake, rusk and bread. Recently, the company identified a new segment called adjacent business, into which it forayed through a joint venture with Chipita of Greece. This JV will make filled croissants. These adjacencies (mainly in the snacking category) mark Britannia’s efforts to become a total foods company. In the dairy segment, it has lined up a slew of milk products. In-house production now accounts for 50% of Britannia’s total output. It is also focussing on integrated operations now, company officials said.
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Since the setting up a of a modern factory in Kolkata in 1952 (when it touched ₹1 crore in sales), BIL has expanded its presence with units in Uttarakhand, Bihar, Odisha, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat, Assam and Maharashtra. Its international foray was in 2007 through an acquisition in West Asia, according to official sources.