From biscuits to hand sanitizers: India’s largest biscuit and confectionary brand-Parle’s diversification

Abstract

Parle is a brand that is known to one and all in India. It is a household name when it comes to biscuits. Parle-G is the world’s number 1 selling biscuit. Flourishing in its taste and quality which comes at a very affordable, low price, Parle has been very popular in the Indian market. It has the lion’s share of the Indian biscuit market. This case study explores how Parle leveraged this brand value it earned through biscuits and extended its product line by launching sanitizers in 2020. The case study also highlights an interesting occurrence: While most companies were grappling with low sales and distribution issues during the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown, Parle reported the highest sales it had achieved in over 8 decades. This case study delves into various aspects such as Parle’s history and reasons for its success in the biscuit market, its growth spurt during the Covid-19 pandemic, the factors which resulted in such huge growth, and finally its business diversification into the hand sanitizer market. This case study makes use of the available litreature to highlight the reasons behind Parle’s market success with a special focus on Parle-G Biscuits; its most successful and popular product. This case study can be used to teach and learn various concepts like marketing mix, product line, product line diversification, and brand value to name a few.