In a bid to spread fragrance in the highly-fragmented Rs 100-crore agarbathi market, ITC Ltd launched a new brand of incense sticks in ‘fragrance locked’ packets. Called ‘Mangal Deep’, this brand of incense sticks was launched by the noted singer Padmashri Dr. SP Balasubrahmanyam in Hyderabad.

The ‘fragrance locked’ is a unique concept of packaging developed by ITC which helps to retain the fragrance for a longer period and cannot be known even if sniffed for the fragrance which is as per the traditional customs of the Indian culture. The product will be available in 80,000 outlets across the state and will be launched in phases across the country over the next six months, said Mr. VM Rajasekharan, CEO of ITC Agarbathi business in a press conference.

Mangal Deep has been carefully developed and positioned after extensive consumer research in relevant markets. Mangal Deep offers a choice of three pack sizes from Rs 2 for 10 sticks to Rs 10 for 20 sticks in different fragrances of individual packs and also through 3-in-1 pack of sandal, bouquet and rose, he said. With more numbers in fragrance portfolio, the company has proposed lower price points for rural markets. The company has decided to outsource these sticks from small scale agarbathi manufacturing units in Bangalore and Pondicherry.