ITC Foods’ Retailers first focussed initiative supports safety of Indian retailers

 

The cause was championed by the company’s popular brands Aashirvaad, Sunfeast Biscuits, Sunfeast YiPPee!, B Natural, Aashirvaad Svasti and Candyman

 

National, 27th November 2020: In alignment with ITC Ltd.’s credo of ‘Sab Saath Badhein’, the Foods Division spearheaded a Retail Engagement Initiative which focussed on ensuring safety of retailers. The initiative covered over 20,000+ retailers across the country and addressed their safety requirements by ensuring that risks associated with the pandemic are minimised for them.  The initiative was an endeavour to help the Company’s first line of customers, the retailers operate in a safe & hygienic environment while enabling them to serve their buyers through the challenging times. The retailers’ community has been the backbone of the retail/ business eco system who ensured last-mile availability of essential goods to end consumers. This program supported the friendly neighbourhood kiranas and general stores with protective window shields, protective gear and social distancing curtains to enable them to continue running their establishment/shop whilst following hygiene and safety protocols.

Leading ITC Foods brands like Aashirvaad, Sunfeast Biscuits, Sunfeast YiPPee!, B Natural, Aashirvaad Svasti and Candyman led the initiative with retailers as their job/ work involves interaction with multiple consumers through the day, making them vulnerable in the current situation. With social distancing and hygiene measures being the need of the hour, the brands supported retailers by providing them high-quality protective gear to ensure their safety and protection at all times. The protective shield and social distancing curtains are made of Polymerizing Vinyl Chloride (PVC) and window shield frames are made of recycled corrugated plastic., enabling the highest levels of protection. To further cater to retailers’ safety, ITC Foods has also initiated sanitization drives across metros starting from the North and spanning to the South and East which will progressively expand to other markets as well. Simultaneously the window shield frames are being implemented pan India as well.

Commenting on the initiative, an ITC Foods spokesperson said, "Over the years, our strong network of retailers across India have extended their unflinching support in ensuring seamless availability of our products to the end consumers and contributing to the success of our brands. In the current situation, their contribution has been all the more significant and critical. As a responsible brand custodian, we strongly feel the need to extend our support for their exemplary contribution and service. We hope that through our initiative, we will be able to help their businesses by enabling them to continue their operations in a safe and hygienic manner and serve consumers even in the toughest of times.”

The initial phase of the activity began in the southern districts of the country and will soon be executed pan India with a vision/ aspiration to reach over 25,000 retailers.

About ITC Foods: A Division of ITC Limited

ITC's branded packaged foods business is one of the fastest growing foods businesses and the one of the largest foods company in India, driven by the market standing and consumer franchise of its popular brands - Aashirvaad, Sunfeast, Bingo!, Yippee!, Kitchens of India, B Natural, Mint-o, Candyman, Fabelle, Sunbean and GumOn. The Foods business is today represented in multiple categories in the market - Staples, Spices, Ready-to-Eat, Snack Foods, Bakery & Confectionery and Juices & Beverages.

ITC's Foods brands delight millions of households with a wide range of differentiated, value-added products developed by leveraging ITC's in-house R&D capabilities, deep consumer understanding, knowledge of preferred Indian tastes, agri-sourcing & packaging strengths, and an unmatched distribution network.

ITC's uncompromising commitment to the health and safety of its consumers ensures adherence to the highest levels of quality, safety and hygiene standards in manufacturing processes and in the supply chain.. Going beyond process control, ITC ensures that quality standards are stringently adhered to while choosing ingredients that go into the preparation of its food products.

The business continues to invest in every aspect of manufacturing, distribution and marketing to ensure that it can leverage emerging opportunities and fulfill its aspiration of being the most trusted provider of branded packaged foods in the country. ITC's Foods business also exports its products to the key geographies of North America, Africa, Middle East and Australia.