Zydus Wellness completes acquisition of Heinz India

Zydus Wellness completes acquisition of Heinz India

Zydus Wellness Ltd. (“ZWL”) one of the reputed players in the fast growing consumer healthcare market along with its wholly-owned entity (Zydus Wellness – Sikkim, a partnership firm) has successfully completed the acquisition of Heinz India Private Limited (“Heinz India”), the subsidiary of Kraft Heinz.

Speaking on the development, Dr. Sharvil Patel, Chairman, Zydus Wellness Ltd., said, “The closing of this transaction represents a new and exciting chapter for Zydus Wellness as we continue our journey of transformation into a leading player in the wellness domain. We are delighted to welcome Heinz India into our fold and are ready to script a bright future ahead. Together we look forward to leveraging the strengths of the legacy brands and our capabilities to merge science and innovation and drive value for our consumers and our stakeholders.”

The acquisition was previously announced on 24th October 2018 when the company had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Heinz India’s business comprising the brands Complan, Glucon D, Nycil and Sampriti Ghee, two large manufacturing facilities in Aligarh and Sitarganj and teams devoted to operations, research, sales, marketing and support. Heinz India also has a strong distribution network of over 800 distributors and more than 20,000 wholesalers covering 29 states.

The company also announced that the Board of Directors at their meeting held today passed a resolution approving the appointment of Mr. Ashish Bhargava as a Nominee Director of Threpsi Care LLP, representing private-equity fund, True North. With iconic brands like Sugar Free, EverYuth and Nutralite, Zydus Wellness has a strong brand equity in the food, nutrition and skincare markets. The acquired brands have a strong market presence and a legacy of over 50 years. Glucon D, first launched in 1933, is the leader in the energy drinks segment in India. Complan, a household brand in the health food drink category, was introduced in India in 1969 as a milk based health food drink. Today, Complan is considered to be one of the strongest brands associated with nutrition and health benefits and has a high spontaneous recall of nearly 90% in India. Launched in 1951, Nycil is the number one prickly heat powder with a pan India presence. Sampriti, premium ghee offers immense opportunities for growth in the large retail segment.

Zydus Wellness Ltd. (ZWL) is the listed entity of the Zydus group and is one of the leading companies in the fast growing Indian consumer wellness market. The company has grown over the years on the back of pioneering brands like Sugar Free, EverYuth and Nutralite and innovations offering new benefits to consumers. Sugar Free, the flagship brand of Zydus Wellness, launched in 1988, is a sugar substitute that leads the market with dominant market share. ‘Sugar Free’, the largest selling sweetener brand in the country with over 93% market share, has now become more of a lifestyle brand rather than just a sugar substitute for diabetics. The skincare range of products sold under the umbrella brand ‘EverYuth’ has been able to retain its leadership position despite increasing competition and an influx of international brands. ‘Nutralite’, India’s largest selling table spread has gained widespread consumer acceptance as a healthier substitute to butter.