Mukesh Ambani-controlled Reliance Industries is getting into the consumer durables segment and over the next several months plans to launch a wide range of small appliances such as irons and fans to white goods and consumer electronics such as refrigerators and televisions.

The items will be manufactured under contract, but once sufficient volumes are reached it plans to manufacture them on its own. The company is understood to have tied up with a number of players in the industry, who are making products for other companies as well.

It has already soft-launched a range of coolers under the Wyzr brand, which is now available on Flipkart. Other categories of items such food processors and electric kettles, will be launched under the brand soon, sources said.

The products will be sold across all channels, including its own such as Reliance Digital, and other formats. In order to scale up, acquisitions are also on the cards and sources said that it was looking for regional players, whose products have a strong brand recall.

RIL did not respond to an email sent seeking clarification on its plans.

Competing with biggies

In the consumer durables space, RIL will be competing with some of the big names in the industry in India and globally. Analysts pointed out that it would not be a simple matter to dislodge them especially since they have strong brand loyalty and come with a certain performance guarantee.

Market experts said that launching its own brands would not make much difference in the market unless it acquires a big player, as it has done in the apparel, pharmacy and furniture segments. It can however compete with cheaper Chinese brands, they said.

Reliance Retail Ventures, which is spearheading the consumer foray, has rapidly become the top retailer in the country with revenue crossing ₹3 lakh crore in FY24, through its playbook of strategic acquisitions and partnerships with leading brands, both domestic and global.

While it has managed to get some amount of traction with its own brands in the apparel and footwear segment, it has not been so successful in the fast moving consumer goods space, where brands have to be built over years.

Related Topics