Herbalife International India which offers a range of nutrition food products and personal care products has completed 14 successful years of operations in India. Herbalife has emerged as one of the leading direct selling companies in India. The company pursues its global mission of ‘Changing People’s lives’ by marketing and selling its products through a network of independent distributors in India. The company has more than 60 business locations in India with its corporate office in Bangalore.
Herbalife gets its nutritional food products manufactured to date through its third party manufacturers at Baddi and Paonta Sahib in Himachal Pradesh, in state-of-the-art facilities. Its personal care products are currently imported. Herbalife is a member of the Indian Direct Selling Association (IDSA) which is a self-regulatory body for direct selling companies in India.
Herbalife India has supported and donated to various non-profit organisations like SOS Children Village of India and Smile Foundation in its nutrition as well as Mission Education projects.
It is also working with Charities Aid Foundation India on nutrition related projects. The company looks forward to spreading the message of good nutri- tion across the world.
In an email interaction with NuFFooDS Spectrum, Ajay Khanna, Country head, Herbalife International India, shared his views on market trends in India and challenges before the company. Excerpts:
How do you see the market for nutritionals in India?
We are happy to see increasing aware- ness about importance of good health and balanced nutrition across various age groups. People are searching ways to live a healthy life and we are glad to offer them Herbalife products to meet their wellness goals.
What challenges do you see for Herbalife in the current situation?
Our product category consists of food supplements and food for special dietary uses to which certain regulations are being issued by FSSAI.
Your views on promoting products through celebrity campaigns. At Herbalife, we do realise the importance of communicating to the consumers about the brand, which stands for nutrition. Our communication platform is predominantly print-focused. Our campaign stresses on nutrition, which is what the brand signifies. Our print campaign features our brand ambassadors such as Virat Kohli, Saina Nehwal, Dipika Pallikal and Mary Kom, who carry our brand vision forward.
Where do you want to see Herbalife in next five years in India?
In line with Herbalife’s mission, we want to ensure that our products are readily available to as many Indian consumers as possible to help them meet their nutrition needs.
Any future plans for the company?
Herbalife has witnessed substantial growth in India for the past several years given the increased demand for its products. All Herbalife inner and outer nutrition products are a source of good nutrition. They include protein shakes, vitamins and health supplements, energy drinks and skin and hair care products. In line with Herbalife’s mission to bring the gift of good nutrition to global communities, we wanted to ensure that our products are readily available to as many Indian consum- ers as possible to help them meet their nutrition needs. We wanted to empower youths in smaller cities and towns with the Herbalife business opportunities to help them become entrepreneurs.
The strategy to focus on smaller cities proved to be the turning point in our journey in India. People in Tier II and Tier III cities have embraced our nutrition products. The expansion also means new business opportunities by becoming Herbalife distributors.