FMCG major Nestle India, as part of its growth strategy, is planning to focus on four key priorities: consumer centricity, penetration-led volume growth, reinvestment behind brands and capacity, and accelerating tech-led sales and operations.
People at the core
Nestle India CMD Manish Tiwary said that at the heart of delivering these priorities are people, creating an environment where they are empowered to act fast, stay focused and remain flexible, and where bolder, bigger and better innovations can thrive.
“We are strengthening capabilities to leverage technology, shift time to higher-value work and deliver greater impact. Our people remain central to the business, bringing creativity and judgement to serve consumers and customers,” he said.
Omni-channel strategy
The company continues to execute an omni-channel strategy aligned to the evolving retail ecosystem, scaling e-commerce and quick commerce, strengthening modern trade and chain pharmacy, and sustaining growth through general trade across semi-urban and rural markets.
Priorities remain focused on improving in-stock availability, reducing lead times and enhancing execution consistency through sharper channel-wise assortment and pack roles, closer partner collaboration, and technology-enabled replenishment.
Rural market expansion
In rural markets, Nestle India strengthened its route-to-market and accelerated reach expansion through a focused approach anchored on Infrastructure, Product Portfolio, Technology, Visibility, Consumer Communication and People.
This integrated approach delivered a strong scale-up in total reach across geographies, supporting the highest reach increase among industry peers, driven primarily by rural markets, expanding its presence to 2,16,000 villages and sharpening the focus from adding outlets to improving the effectiveness of coverage and execution quality.
Commodity outlook
Coffee prices continue to trend lower, supported by a favourable crop in Vietnam and the forthcoming crop in Brazil. Cocoa prices remain subdued, reflecting improved supply and moderated demand. Sugar prices remain stable. Edible oil prices are firm and have moved higher in line with global crude oil prices, supported by increased diversion to biodiesel. Wheat has been affected by unseasonal rains in April, resulting in a delayed harvest and lower quantity and quality. Milk prices have firmed and are expected to remain elevated through the summer lean season.
Export expansion
Expanded exports to new markets, including the Maldives and Papua New Guinea, taking Nestle India’s export footprint to 28 countries through 127 million equivalent consumer units. Introduced NESCAFE Sunrise in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and New Zealand, and started exporting NESCAFE Bulk to the UAE for use in 3-in-1 for sale in GCC countries. Expanded MAGGI Masala-ae-Magic seasoning mix in the UK, US and UAE. Launched the KITKAT range in Singapore and introduced MILKMAID Doypack in Sri Lanka.
E-commerce growth
Growth momentum continued, led by strong quick commerce performance, driven by improved availability, a curated platform-specific pack portfolio across relevant categories, targeted on- and off-platform media interventions, and strong festive participation throughout the year.
Organised trade performance
Organised trade delivered double-digit growth across key categories, led by impactful in-store activations, improved visibility along with store expansion.