TTK plans Fryums re-launch

Abhrajit Gangopadhyay

BANGALORE, Nov. 28

FAILING to find a suitor for the foods division, the diversified TTK Group plans to relaunch Fryums early next fiscal, the group Chairman, Mr T.T. Jagannathan said.

Fryums, which became a generic name in foods-pellet category following its launch in the early 90s, sank into oblivion under pressure from foreign brands and increased competition from multinationals.

Now, we are planning to revive the strong brand that Fryums is, Mr Jagannathan said.

Fryums would be launched and serviced by the foods division under TTK Healthcare. The decision was based on TTKs new strategy to leverage its branded business, he added. The company is likely to report a topline close to Rs 180 crore, perhaps with a small profit", he said. We have earmarked Rs 15 crore as advertisement budget and Rs 5 crore as promotional expenses for the new products," Mr Jagannathan said. Moreover, a stagnant US market, serviced by subsidiary Manttra Inc. has proved to be a drag on the companys bottomline. In a bid to be more cost-effective TTK plans to streamline operations in the US", he added. TTK Healthcare plans to launch a slew of over-the-counter (OTC) feet-care products under the Dr Scholl brand next fiscal, even as the company withdrew Arthrid, an OTC product addressing arthritis. TTK LIG, which manufactures condoms under Kohinoor brand, plans to sell 35-40 million units in the domestic market this year and export

The group, in a bid to streamline its operations and focus on core business, aims to have only four companies, down from 20, by this fiscal-end. The group would focus on TTK Prestige, TTK LIG, TTK Healthcare and TTK Textiles

We are in the process of re-inventing ourselves...a process like never becoming a butterfly", Mr Jagannathan said.