After Mahesh Ambani-owned Reliance Industries acquired Pure Drinks Group’s Campa-Cola soft drink brand from Delhi-based soft drinks maker, there are hopes that the brand could regain its lost glory.
Company sources said:
Reliance Industries, one of the country’s leading conglomerates, announced earlier this week that it would be entering the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector.
In this case, Reliance Industries Group has acquired Campa, a soft drink brand developed locally by Pure Drinks Group.
The contract for this has been signed at a value of around Rs.22 crores.
Reliance Retail Ventures, part of Reliance Group, will launch the soft drink in the market sometime before or after Diwali.
Reliance Retail Wenches, the retail arm of Reliance Group, has already launched Campa-Cola’s orange and lemon flavors in its flagship stores.
At present, the Indian soft drink market is dominated by the largest cola soft drink manufacturers, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, after the United States.
The acquisition is part of the Reliance Group’s plan to enter the FMCG market.
Campa Cola was introduced in the 1970s by the Pure Drinks Group. Before that, the group was manufacturing and selling Coca-Cola in India since 1949. After that in 1977 when the brand was taken out of India, Campa Cola flew the flag in the Indian market for 15 years.
Campa Cola was marketed with the slogan ‘The Great Indian Taste’.
Later, after foreign companies returned to the beverage market in the 1990s, Campa Cola’s popularity waned. Can’t compete with Coca-Cola and Pepsi soft drinks, Campa-Cola was pushed back.
Currently, Campa-Cola is sold in very limited quantities in only a few markets.
In this situation, the brand has been acquired by the Reliance Group, so there is an expectation that it can restore its old glory.
According to a report published by market research firm Research and Markets, the carbonated soft drinks market segment in India stood at Rs 13,460 crore in FY 2020. This is expected to increase to Rs 34,964 crore in the coming financial year 2027.