McKinsey to script SWC liquor roadmap

Shaw Wallace & Company has appointed consultancy major, McKinsey, to prepare a roadmap for its liquor business with a three-year perspective.

Addressing shareholders at the company's fifty-seventh annual general meeting, R A Shah, alternate director to the chairperson said, the key objectives are expansion of business portfolio through new initiatives, strengthening brand equity of existing best selling brands and creating brand extensions in mid and low-priced segments.

The company has initiated a modernisation and capacity expansion of existing units and acquisitions of new distilleries.

SWC is making provisions to enhance capacities particularly in the south to meet increased demand. Upgradation work at the Aurangabad unit is already complete.

Among the new avenues, SWC is considering country liquor segment seriously. In India, country liquor is roughly three times the organized Indian Made Foreign Liquor industry.

Shah said, "This segment therefore offers great potential for growth for an organisation like ours that has a country-wide distribution network.

Another growth area being considered by the company is institutional sales. The company happened to be the largest suppliers of spirits brands to canteen store departments.

Shah said, "We are in fact planning to create special teams to drive this initiative that has the potential of contributing significantly to our sales and revenues".

The company plans to tap the growing wines market in India and has already tied up with some global wine majors to launch their products.

Shah said the company had received overwhelming success in the launch of premium vodka brand from Kyndal International.

Ready-to-drink is another potential area for growth. The company had already launched Veba in Goa and Mumbai in association with Kyndal and was firming up plans for aggressive nation-wide entry in that segment.

Shah said, in the current financial year, the company's focus will be to bolster topline and bottomline through consumer-focused activities for key brands such as Royal Challenge premium whisky, Director's Special whisky, John ExShaw brandy, Golconda brandy and VSOP.

Shaw Wallace Distilleries was also considering launch of new brands to fill in gaps in its portfolio that may exist in certain price and category segments.