8 November 2007 – ITC Ltd, India's top cigarette maker, with a diversified presence in hotels, paperboard, apparel, retail and information technology, is making good progress in the confectionery sector. Its Mint-O Fresh brand overtook Perfetti Van Melle's Chlormint as top seller in the cough lozenges category in July-September, according to AC Nielsen Data.
ITC’s Mint-O Fresh secured a 17% share of the Indian cough lozenges market in July to September, ahead of previous leader Perfetti, which only achieved 14.3% with Chlormint.
The Indian giant entered the confectionery sector in 2002 and has two brands, Mint-O Fresh and Candyman.
Perfetti Van Melle, whose brand portfolio includes Mentos, Alpenliebe and Chlormint, continues to dominate the Indian confectionery market with a share in excess of 30%, according to AC Nielsen.
The Italian company’s presence is particularly strong in the gum sector, where it accounts for 41% of sales, but there too its share is being challenged. Cadbury’s is aiming to increase its own share of the Indian gum market to over 10% within a year, as reported by FLEXNEWS last month.