Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) Chairman Sanjiv Mehta on Friday said the coronavirus pandemic is an opportunity for India to digitise itself. In an exclusive interview with CNBC-TV18, he said, “Covid-19 cocooning will taper once we have a vaccine. It is an opportunity for us to digitise India.”
Talking about the change in work culture due to the pandemic, he said, “Let’s not write the obituary of work from office. Every business is now moving to digital. Smaller unit packs are growing at a faster space. Contactless functioning is a new trend.”
Mehta said the sanitiser market has gone up by 150 times vs that in the pre-covid era. “Sanitiser sales may settle at 15%-20% of current levels,” he said.
Taking about the upcoming consumer behaviour, Mehta said people will not stop eating outside and that ready-to-cook food market will see a moderation.
On the recent merger, he said, “The HUL-GSK merger is a marriage made in heaven. It is the biggest in the FMCG sector. We want to first align the synergies of HUL and GSK.”
Mehta also said that teams of both companies are working on nutrition products. “We are always looking out for good merger and acquisition opportunities. First quarter sales of beauty products fell due to unavailability. There’s no one who doesn’t want to look good… beauty and personal care category will bounce back.”
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