KOLKATA: Cookies, the new darling of the Indian biscuit market, look all set to see a big corporate battle between Britannia and ITC for leadership. The Rs 6,800-crore segment is the fastest-growing among different segments of the biscuit industry and has dethroned glucose as the biggest segment already. ITC plans to make inroads into the lucrative midpremium cookies segment, now ruled by Good Day of Britannia, the undisputed king of the segment with over 90% marketshare.

The FMCG-to-tobacco-to-hospitality conglomerate is introducing Sunfeast Mom’s Magic in the mid-premium cookies segment. Mom’s Magic is available in two variants — rich butter and cashew & almond, which is also available from the Good Day stable. The range is priced at Rs 10, Rs 15, Rs 20 & Rs 30. “Sunfeast Mom’s Magic is the brand’s endeavour to broaden its base in the cookie segment, the largest segment in biscuits,” a source in ITC said. According to an industry expert, Sunfeast is already the third largest player in the cookies segment in India and offers differentiated products across price segments.

The cookies segment is growing at a CAGR of 14% in India. The mid-premium cookies segment is relatively smaller in size with Rs 1,800-crore consumer spends, but has witnessed a CAGR of 20% in recent years. Britannia is also not sitting idle and to maintain its leadership in the lucrative cookies segment it has strengthened the Good Day portfolio with the introduction of a new brand in the family Chunkies. A Britannia spokesperson said Good Day is the largest brand in the cookies segment and has remained so ever since its inception close to three decades ago. It is also the largest brand in the Britannia stable.

“Business on Good Day is going great guns, clocking great growth numbers in 2013-14 and continuing to build on that in 2014-15. The brand is expanding its footprint in thousands of new consumer households. It is the most preferred biscuit brand in India and a new member — Chunkies — has now been added to the Good Day family to take this legacy forward,” a Britannia spokesperson said.