Dettol a Rs 1,000 cr brand by 2010?

Reckitt Benckiser (India) Ltd, known for popular brands like Dettol and Cherry Blossom, expects to more than double revenues in three years to Rs 2,500 crore (Rs 25 billion) and sees the country's top antiseptic brand Dettol alone adding Rs 1,000 crore (Rs 10 billion) to its top-line by then.

"Our growth in Indian will be driven by increased penetration of personal and home care products and this growth is expected to drive our top-line to the Rs 2,500 crore mark by 2010," Reckitt Benckiser India chairman and managing director Chander Mohan Sethi said in New Delhi.

At present, the penetration of personal and home hygiene products in India stands at just six per cent and is expected to grow exponentially over the next few years, he said.

The company operates on a calendar year basis and had closed 2006 with revenues of Rs 1,200 crore (Rs 12 billion).

Dettol, which has become a generic term for antisepctics in India, had a turnover of Rs 400 crore (Rs 4 billion) last fiscal, he said.

"Dettol is the biggest brand retailed by Reckitt Benckiser India and we expect it to become a Rs 1,000 crore brand by 2010," he said.

The company is mulling to add several new products in its portfolio in order to achieve its turnover target by 2010 and would launch the first such product in the next three months.