T Krishnakumar, CEO, Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages, says, “We are concentrating and investing in modern retail ahead of the curve.” That’s Coca-Cola India’s mantra for ensuring the high levels of growth that it has been registering. So, the beverage giant has started conducting what it calls top-to-top meetings between its top managements and the CEOs of modern retail chains.
“We are focusing on the backend to make our products available in their full assortment is not easy because the organised retail is spread all over the country and we need top ensure that there is right amount of forecasting, servicing and logistics in the system,” Krishnakumar added.
This strategy seems to be working. The Indian business registered the second highest growth globally for Coke in the last quarter. The company has seen 20-25% improvement in terms of service levels to the customer in terms of availability of products on shelf.
But not all FMCG players follow this strategy. For most FMCG players, modern retail still contributes only a small chunk to their business. Thomas Varghese, CEO, Aditya Birla Retail, says, “Our objective is to work with as many top 20-30 FMCG companies and have a good collaborative relationship with them. It is not that easy, that is why I said there are a number of progressive CEOs who know what is going to be the future.”
Coca-Cola is one of those few that have taken the initiative. But experts says, as modern retail’s contribution climbs from the current 7-8% to more for FMCG players, the shift in focus in expected to come through.