Soaps To Scoops: Companies Ride Early Summer Demand To Profits

Makers of summer treats like ice-cream and colas are already seeing record sales, even though it is only March. With heatwave days projected to exceed the usual average nationwide, demand is expected to rise 25-30% during the season, boosting profits, say industry executives.

"We have been seeing solid sales since January, and we have doubled our production capacity ahead of the peak season," said Jayen Mehta, managing director of Amul, which sells ice-cream, packaged drinks and dairy products like curd and buttermilk. Sales have been 20% higher between January and March so far across products, he added.

Manish Bandlish, managing director, Mother Dairy, expects demand to increase by over 30%. "With enhanced capacities, cold chain infrastructure and early asset mobilisation, we are well poised to handle such upsurge," he said.

Premium ice-cream chain, Baskin Robbins, is also seeing a sudden rise in footfall at its parlours, according to Mohit Khattar, CEO of Graviss Foods, master franchisee for Baskin Robbins in India. "Even when accounting for last year's high base, we conservatively estimate a growth rate of 20%." It plans to open 125 parlours this year, with 60% expected to be launched in the first half.

Even as prices of key commodities like milk and cocoa remain firm, the companies may only partially pass on the cost to consumers in terms of higher sticker prices. "We don't think slight price hikes will deter consumers as ice-cream is an impulse purchase," said Khattar.

India's cola war is also expected to heat up this summer. Soft drinks majors including Coca Cola, PepsiCo and Reliance Consumer Products Ltd.-owned Campa have advanced production cycles and summer campaigns.

"With disruptive new campaigns, we’re doubling down on innovation activations and consumer engagement," a PepsiCo India spokesperson said. "We have also expanded production to ensure seamless availability."

Coke, Pepsi and Campa have been stepping up ad campaigns, timing them with the Indian Premier League, which will run from March 22 to May 25.

Campa has acquired rights for the 'co-powered' sponsorship slot in this year's IPL for both television and digital platforms, setting the stage for a fierce cola war this summer. The 'co-powered' slot is the second most visible sponsorship tier in the IPL, following the title sponsorship. Last year, the rights were held by Coca-Cola's Thums Up.

In what is a clear case of brands fighting for market shares, Coca-Cola launched its ‘Half Time, Coke Time’ campaign in India along with the just concluded cricket tournament, Champions Trophy 2025. Pepsi in India responded with its ‘Any time is Pepsi Time’ campaign.

Legacy brands—Pepsi and Coke—were compelled to lower prices after a revived Campa disrupted the market with its aggressive Rs 10 pricing. Both Pepsi and Coca-Cola 400ml packs (250ml+150ml free) are priced at Rs 20 and 7Up and Sprite 500ml packs (250ml+250ml free) now cost Rs 20, matching the price of Campa's 500 ml PET bottles.

Campa's aggression has also compelled Dabur India Ltd. and Tata Consumer Products Ltd. to tweak strategies to protect their market share. The cheaper carbonated beverage from Campa has impacted Dabur's 'Real' portfolio, which offers fruit juices and nectars, and Tata's NourishCo business, which houses glucose-based ready-to-serve drink Tata Gluco+.

Amul is also sponsoring nine of 10 teams in IPL this year, Mehta said.

With IPL’s reach and influence, these brands are set to maximise visibility and forge connections with cricket fans in a bid to drive sales.

Interestingly, the sellers of deodorants, bodywash, soaps — usage for which usually goes up during the summer season — are also looking to roll out more smaller and affordable packs to ride the heatwave as summer sets in early.

"As these personal care items typically see an increase in consumption during summers, our focus will be to ride the wave through access packs and to offer a wider range of products at competitive pricing” said Krishna Khatwani, head of sales (India) at Godrej Consumer Products Ltd.