Popular Yet Misunderstood!

Ready to be ‘Aatm Nirbhar’? I’m sure you are well versed with Vocal for Local. But do we know which brands are Local and which aren’t? 

Don’t judge your favorite brands by their name! I’ll make sure you don’t. Here’s a list of some of the most popular yet misunderstood INDIAN brands.

1. East India Company

Yup, you do need to recall the history. It’s the same company that took control of our country and all its resources. Sanjiv Mehta, an entrepreneur based in Mumbai now owns the company that once owned us. He bought the company in 2005 for about $15 million. He re-launched the company after it went absent for 135 years! East India Company now runs a luxury food store.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/business/east-india-company-now-has-an-indian-owner/story-c3ER7bV16u5jQoG0IU5umO.html

 2. Peter England

Peter England was initially a brand of Londonderry, Ireland. It was founded in 1889. After it entered the Indian market, Aditya Birla Group acquired its rights in 2000 The brand was listed in the top 5 most trusted brands in the apparel category for 7 consecutive years. 

3. Flying Machine

India’s first denim brand ‘Flying Machine’ was launched in 1989. It is owned by Arvind Fashioning Possibilities and is now a global brand. Arvind holds a license of manufacturing and marketing of some of the biggest global fashion brands like Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Gap, Ed Hardy, Hanes, Nautica, and Elle in India.

4. Da Milano

Da Milano is without a doubt an Indian Company. It was first established as a single store in Delhi by Sahil Malik who now owns 60 stores in the country. It is considered a luxury brand for leather products. It comes up to the likes of Zara, Sephora, and Starbucks.

5. Hidesign

Dilip Kumar the president of Hidesign started the company as a hobby in 1978. It is based in Pondicherry, India, and is in operations in 24 countries including the USA, UK, Australia, Spain, etc. With a product range from Rs 4000 – 25,000/- Hidesign has a turnover of about Rs 600 crores.

6. Jaguar Land Rover

Known for its luxury sedans and sports cars, Jaguar is one of the luxury cars around the world. Ford acquired Jaguar and later acquired Land Rover from BMW. It later sold the combined brand to TATA MOTORS in 2008. 

It has been one of the constants in the Royal Family as well.

✓FactCheck:- Ratan Tata, who was the chairman of Tata Groups in 1999 went with his team to sell their car business to Ford but instead faced humiliation and rejection. That was when he came back after 9 years only to buy Ford’s premium brands Jaguar and Land Rover.

7. Allen Solly

 

Allen Solly is India’s largest and fastest-growing branded apparel company and a premium lifestyle player in the retail sector. The brand was bought in the '90s by 

Madura Fashion & Lifestyle, a division of Aditya Birla Fashion and Lifestyle. 

The company’s brand portfolio includes product lines that range from affordable and mass-market to luxurious, high-end style and cater to every age group, from children and youth to men and women. 

Yes, I’m talking about the premium brands — Louis Philippe, Van Heusen, Allen Solly, Peter England.

Now, let me burst more of your bubbles. Here are some fun facts about huge Brands.

1. Lakmé 

While it started as a 100% subsidiary of TATA Oil Mills, it was sold to Hindustan Unilever in 1996 for Rs. 200 Crores. Don’t confuse Hindustan Unilever with Indian Company now. It is an Indian subsidiary of Unilever, a British Dutch Consumer goods Company. 

Lux, Sunsilk, TRE Semme, Lifebuoy, Pears, Ponds, Axe, Dove, Vim, are all products of HUL. You can check out their entire product line.

2. BATA

Bata is an MNC which is headquartered in Switzerland and is not a company of India. Now don’t stop buying school shoes!

3. Bisleri

Don’t freak out. Bisleri is an Indian Company. It was not once Indian though. Bisleri was initially an Italian company, who first came up with the idea of bottled water. After a few acquisitions and separation, Bisleri is now a 100% Indian Company and is also the largest seller of bottled water in India.

4. Kinley & Aquafina

Kinley, on the other hand, is not an Indian product. Kinley is a brand owned by Coca Cola. 

Fanta, Minute Maid, Maaza, Thumbs Up, Sprite are all products of Coca Cola and not some separate soft drinks.

Aquafina we know the competition between Pepsi and Coca Cola. So yes, Aquafina is bottled water owned by Pepsi.

Tropicana, Mirinda, Slice, Mountain Dew are all products of Pepsi.

Do you know any brand which is popular yet misunderstood? Let me know in the comment section.

Write up- Shavy Jain