New Delhi: Colgate’s sales in India have seen a steep decline, marking the third consecutive financial quarter of falling performance. Surprisingly, the company has offered a rather unusual explanation for this downturn — claiming that Indians are not buying toothpaste to brush their teeth.
According to Colgate, Indian consumers have long used smaller quantities of toothpaste, which has impacted overall sales volumes. The sharpest decline has been recorded in urban markets, where distribution challenges have further affected performance.
In an effort to attract consumers, Colgate recently introduced several new premium-quality and higher-priced toothpaste variants, but even these have struggled to gain traction. The company’s rural-focused product, Colgate Strong Teeth, has also failed to make a significant impact in the market.
Colgate-Palmolive Chairman and Global CEO Noel Wallace acknowledged that the company might not be able to recover its lost market share anytime soon. Compared to the same quarter last year, the company reported a 6.3% drop in revenue.
Even though the GST rate on oral care products such as toothpaste was reduced from 18% to 5%, Colgate has not seen any boost in sales. The company has announced plans to conduct a detailed internal review of the declining sales trend in the coming week.
