Launched in India in 1980, Little’s is present across a wide range of products including – baby feeding bottles, baby skin-care, baby grooming accessories, baby apparels and baby toys.
The brand is currently available across 25,000 outlets in India and has been growing at a CAGR of 30% over the past few years.
According to an independent research firm – KEN research, the brand operates in the INR 1,000 crore non-food baby-care category, which is growing at 13%.
The brand is available at chemists, cosmetics & kids stores, modern trade and e-commerce formats. Little’s brand is preferred by mothers of babies in the age group of 0-4 years.
Piramal Enterprises COO of consumer products division Kedar Rajadnye said: "At Piramal Consumer Products, we started our journey in 2009 as an independent player and ranked 40th in the OTC category in India. Over the last 6 years, the business has grown rapidly at 24% and is now ranked 7th amongst all OTC companies in India.
"We have built a portfolio of strong brands of which six are among the Top 100 OTC brands in India. Our brands like Saridon, i-Pill, Lacto Calamine, Polycrol, Tetmosol and Caladryl have a strong consumer franchise and all are either a no.1 or no.2 player in their respective categories."
"In line with our strategy, we aim to be a Top 3 player in the OTC market by 2020 and we believe that Little’s will help us achieve this goal. Currently, we cater to the 5-10 age groups through the Jungle Magic brand. With this acquisition, we now have an offering for babies in the 0-4 age group. This allows us to partner with mothers and provide well-being solutions for their children right from their birth till they reach the age of 10 years." added Kedar.
Little’s has the potential to become a power brand, given the Piramal sales and marketing strengths. The brand will leverage the distribution network of the Consumer Products Division, which currently covers towns that have a population in excess of 1 lakh in India.
Little’s managing director Darshan Deora said: "We are very pleased that Little’s brand is being acquired by Piramal Enterprises, which is one of the leading conglomerates in India. Little’s has grown considerably over the years and today it is one of the most promising brands in the baby-care segment. Piramal’s Consumer Products Division, which has one of the best distribution networks in India, is the perfect partner to take Little’s to new heights. Piramal team has a proven track record with their other brands as well. I wish them all the best for the future."