ITC Limited is one of India's most valuable and admired corporations. Inspired by an abiding vision to sub-serve larger national priorities, ITC has pursued innovative strategies to synergise the creation of long-term shareholder value with the continuous enhancement of societal and environmental capital.
With a turnover of nearly $ 8 billion and a market capitalisation of $ 42 billion, ITC's aspiration to create enduring value for the nation and its stakeholders is manifest in its robust and diversified portfolio of traditional and greenfield businesses. The competitiveness of ITC's diverse businesses rest on the strong foundations of institutional strengths derived from its deep consumer insights, cutting-edge Research & Development, differentiated product development capacity, brand-building capability, world-class manufacturing infrastructure, extensive rural linkages, efficient trade marketing and distribution network and dedicated human resources. ITC's ability to leverage internal synergies residing across its diverse businesses lends a unique source of competitive advantage to its products and services. Today ITC is the country's leading FMCG marketer, the clear market leader in the Indian Paperboard and Packaging industry, a globally acknowledged pioneer in farmer empowerment through its wide-reaching Agri Business, the second largest Hotel Chain in India and a trailblazer in 'green hoteliering'. ITC Infotech, a wholly-owned subsidiary, is one of India's fast-growing IT companies in the mid-tier segment. This portfolio of rapidly growing businesses considerably enhances ITC's capacity to generate growing value for the country.
ITC believes that it is of paramount importance to build and nurture world-class Indian brands which help create, capture and retain larger value for the Indian economy, in addition to generating sustainable livelihoods. A successful brand is a badge of honour for the country it belongs to, and a sustained source of wealth creation.
Leveraging the Company's core competencies, institutional strengths and internal synergies, the new FMCG businesses comprising Branded Packaged Foods, Personal Care Products, Lifestyle Retailing, Education & Stationery Products and Matches and Agarbattis have gained significant market standing over the years. This phenomenal growth has been rated by a Nielsen Report to be the fastest among the consumer goods companies operating in India. Within a relatively short span of time, ITC has established vital brands, many of which are today market leaders in their segments, or have garnered a significant share of consumer franchise. ITC's bouquet of brands includes 'Aashirvaad', 'Sunfeast Dark Fantasy', 'Sunfeast Dream Cream', 'Sunfeast Delishus', 'Sunfeast Mom's Magic', 'Sunfeast Yumfills', 'Sunfeast Bounce', 'Bingo!', 'Yumitos', 'YiPPee!', 'Candyman', 'mint-o', 'B Natural', 'GumOn' and 'Kitchens of India' in the Branded Packaged Foods space; 'Classmate' and 'Paperkraft' in Education & Stationery products market; 'Essenza Di Wills', 'Fiama Di Wills', 'Engage', 'Vivel' and 'Superia' in the Personal Care products segment; 'Wills Lifestyle' and 'John Players' in the Lifestyle Retailing Business; 'Mangaldeep' in Agarbattis and 'Aim' in Matches, amongst others.
ITC's Vision of sustainable and inclusive growth has led to the adoption of a triple bottom line approach that simultaneously builds economic, social and environmental capital. Its Social Investment Programmes including Social Forestry, Soil & Moisture Conservation, Sustainable Agriculture, Livestock Development, Biodiversity, Women Empowerment, Education, Skilling & Vocational Training and Health & Sanitation have had a transformational impact on rural India. These Programmes strive to empower stakeholder communities to conserve, manage and augment their natural resources, create sustainable on and off-farm livelihood sources and improve social infrastructure in rural areas. Through its businesses and associated value chains, ITC has supported the generation of around 6 million livelihoods, touching the lives of many living at the margins in rural India.
In line with its commitment to environmental goals, ITC has constantly strived to reduce the impact of its businesses, processes, products, and services and create a positive footprint. ITC has adopted a low-carbon growth strategy through reduction in specific energy consumption and enhancing use of renewable energy sources. At the same time it seeks to enlarge its positive footprint through increased carbon sequestration by expanding forestry projects in wastelands. 43.1% of the total energy requirement of the Company is today met from renewable sources, a testimony to its commitment to a low carbon growth path. ITC also endeavours to reduce specific water consumption and augment rainwater harvesting activities both on site and off site at watershed catchment areas, as well as minimise waste generation, maximise reuse & recycling and use external post-consumer waste as raw material in its units.
ITC has received national and global recognition for its multi-faceted achievements. It has been ranked as 'India's Most Admired Company' in a survey conducted by Fortune India magazine and Hay Group. ITC has also been rated as the world's 8th largest 'sustainable value creator' among consumer goods companies globally, according to a report by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). As a testimony to its exemplary triple bottom line performance, ITC has also been presented the World Business and Development Award at the historic Rio+20 UN Summit for its Social and Farm Forestry initiative. ITC Chairman Mr Y C Deveshwar has been ranked the 7th Best Performing CEO in the world by the Harvard Business Review in its January-February edition 2013. Mr Deveshwar has also been conferred the Padma Bhushan, one of the country's highest civilian honours, for his leadership in transforming ITC into an organisation with a deep commitment to national priorities of sustainable and inclusive growth.
ITC straddles a range of businesses within the FMCG segment, including Branded Packaged Foods, Personal Care Products, Cigarettes, Lifestyle Retailing, Education and Stationery products, and Safety Matches and Incense Sticks (Agarbatti). Keeping pace with the rapid growth of the FMCG industry in India, ITC has significantly scaled up its presence in this segment.
ITC's Branded Packaged Foods business is one of the fastest growing foods businesses in India. A spread of delectable offerings in Staples, Snacks & Meals, Confections and Beverages is available under 8 popular brands - Aashirvaad, Sunfeast, Bingo!, YiPPee!, Kitchens of India, mint-o, B Natural, Candyman and GumOn. In line with the Company's strategic objective of being the leader in the premium segment, ITC Foods offers an array of top-end products like Aashirvaad Select, Aashirvaad Atta with Multigrains and Aashirvaad Atta with Methi; Sunfeast Dark Fantasy Choco Fills and Sunfeast Dark Fantasy Choco Meltz; Sunfeast Delishus Nuts & Raisins and Sunfeast Delishus Nut Biscotti biscuits. Adding to this bouquet, the business launched the health biscuit, Sunfeast Farmlite in two variants (Almonds and Raisins), and a new range of cookies, Sunfeast Mom's Magic (Rich Butter and Cashew & Almonds). To further its presence in the premium segment, it also entered the cakes category with the launch of the delicious Yumfills Whoopie Pie. The Business forayed into the Juices segment during the year with its new range under the B Natural brand and the gums segment with the GumOn brand.
Specially crafted for Indian preferences, ITC's personal care products portfolio offers a range of internationally benchmarked grooming and personal wash products. Anchored on extensive consumer and market research based product development, ITC's personal care brands 'Essenza Di Wills', 'Fiama Di Wills', 'Engage', 'Vivel', 'Cell Renew' and 'Superia' offer products with relevant, differentiated benefits to the discerning consumer. Essenza Di Wills has been created to encapsulate the essence of fine living through an exclusive, internationally developed range of fine fragrances and grooming products. Fiama Di Wills offers a range of shower gels, gel bars and skin care products exquisitely created to give gentle and effective care for timeless youthfulness. Engage's proposition of 'playful chemistry' is represented in its increasingly popular portfolio of colognes and deodorants. Vivel offers a wide range of bath care products designed to cater to the specific skincare needs of the Indian consumer. It is enriched with Vitamin E and rich nourishing ingredients to fulfil its promise of soft glowing skin. Shower to Shower medicated powder protects from prickly heat and controls sweat. Savlon provides effective anti-bacterial protection through a range of antiseptic liquid, soaps and handwash. Savlon products are known for their gentleness whilst offering effective germ protection.
ITC also strengthened its product portfolio across segments to reinforce its leadership position in the cigarette industry.
ITC's Lifestyle retailing business continues to grow its market standing by investing in brand building, enhancing product vitality and supply chain capabilities; expanding its retail footprint across the country. Synonymous with Fashion and Elegance, the Wills Lifestyle range of apparels offers a premium lifestyle wardrobe for Indian men and women at over 100 exclusive specialty stores. With its high fashion imagery, rich product mix and delightful shopping experience, the brand offers a tempting choice of Wills Classic formal wear, Wills Sport relaxed wear, Wills Clublife evening wear and Wills Signature designer wear. John Players embodies the essence of the Indian youth that is free-spirited, playful and fashionable. The brand presents smart formals, trendy casuals and edgy denims incorporating an exciting mix of colours, patterns, styling and fits.
ITC's Education & Stationery Products Business offers consumers a wide range of differentiated products under the brands 'Classmate' and 'Paperkraft'. A clear market leader in the student notebooks segment, Classmate's portfolio also includes writing instruments (pens & pencils) and scholastic products (mathematical drawing instruments, scales, erasers & sharpeners). Colour Crew, a new sub brand of Classmate offers an exciting range of superior quality student art materials which includes non-toxic oil pastels, wax crayons and sketch pens. The Business recently launched Saathi, a value brand of notebooks, targeted at smaller markets. The 'Paperkraft' brand is the leading provider of premium executive & office paper stationery including notebook ranges of Green Impression and Signature Series as well as an assortment of premium pens. Offering the greenest range of stationery products, supported by a green wood fibre value chain that creates large-scale livelihoods in rural India, 'Classmate' and 'Paperkraft' notebooks are an embodiment of the environmental capital built by ITC in its paper business.
ITC's 'Mangaldeep' agarbattis are manufactured by small scale and cottage units, providing livelihood opportunities for more than 14,000 people. Mangaldeep ASHA (Assistance in Social Habilitation through Agarbattis) is an ITC initiative to improve the quality of raw agarbatti production and provide better livelihood for women rollers. Sourced from the small-scale sector, the Safety Matches business leverages the core strength of ITC in marketing and distribution, brand building and supply chain management to offer Indian consumers high quality safety matches. ITC's range of Safety Matches includes popular brands like 'AIM' & 'Homelites'.
With more than 100 hotels in over 70 destinations in the country, ITC Hotels has redefined the fine art of hospitality. ITC's hotel group operates under 4 brands: 'ITC Hotel' at the luxury end, 'WelcomHotel' in the 5 star segment, 'Fortune' in the mid-market to upscale segment and 'WelcomHeritage' in the heritage leisure segment. Embodying ITC Hotels' credo of 'Responsible Luxury', all ITC luxury hotels are an archetype of the culture and ethos of the region they are located in, offering unique indigenous experiences, internationally acclaimed cuisines and spa, with globally benchmarked standards in accommodation, environment and guest safety.
With a LEED® Platinum rating for all its luxury hotels, ITC Hotels is the 'Greenest Luxury Hotel Chain in the World'.
ITC's Paperboards & Specialty Papers Business is No. 1 in Product Range, Market Reach, Environmental Performance and is the market leader in Value-Added Paperboards in India. Providing internationally competitive quality and cost, the business caters to a wide spectrum of packaging, graphic, communication, writing, printing and specialty paper requirements.
The business established the country's first Elemental Chlorine Free fiber line with Ozone bleaching technology and is fully compliant with world-class environmental standards. It is also the first paper business in the country to be invited to be a member of the Global Forest & Trade Network (GFTN) of the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF). Committed to developing a sustainable raw material base, ITC's pulpwood is largely sourced from renewable plantations under its Social and Farm Forestry programmes, which provide sustainable livelihood opportunities to tribals and marginal farmers.
The Packaging and Printing Business provides contemporary and superior packaging solutions through its state-of-the art technology and processes. With multi-locational manufacturing facilities in Chennai, Munger and Haridwar and a robust technology platform, the business offers a diversified & value added product range in packaging for cartons, flexibles & tobacco and caters to a wide range of customers in domestic and export markets.
The Business supplies value-added packaging to ITC's various FMCG businesses. Its plant in Chennai is India's greenest packaging facility. Backed by expertise in design, innovative product development and cutting edge technology, the business has won several World Star awards for packaging excellence. The Business has also received appreciation and recognition from its customers for partnering and enhancing value through creative packaging solutions.
ITC's Agri Business is one of India's largest agri business players. It is also one of India's leading exporters of agricultural commodities. The leadership position of the business is anchored in the strong and enduring partnerships it has built with farmers across the country. The Business works with farmers to improve the productivity and quality of crops and sources the finest of Grains, Oil Seeds, Pulses and a range of high-value agri products such as Fruits, Coffee and Shrimps across multiple geographies in India.
ITC's Agri Business provides a competitive edge to the Company's Foods Business by sourcing high-quality agricultural raw material directly from farmers and preserving the identity of those commodities along the supply chain, to enable manufacturing of the food products with consumer-preferred value traits.
The revolutionary ITC e-Choupal initiative of the business delivers large-scale societal value by co-creating markets with rural communities. A unique click-and-mortar channel, it facilitates the two-way flow of goods and services in and out of villages, transforming them into vibrant economic institutions. The initiative serves more than 4 million farmers in over 40,000 villages through a network of 6,500 Internet Kiosks spread across 11 states, making ITC e-Choupal the largest digital infrastructure in rural India.
ITC Infotech is a specialised global scale - full service provider of Domain, Data and Digital technology solutions, backed by a strong business and technology consulting focus. The company caters to enterprises in Supply Chain based industries (CPG, Retail, Manufacturing, Hi-Tech) and Services (Banking, Financial Services and Insurance, Airline, Hospitality) through a combination of traditional and newer business models, as a long term sustainable partner. With client engagement spread across 35 countries, ITC Infotech is engaged with over 60+ Fortune listed companies. The company has set up office in 18 countries and established 10 global development centers, powered by a 6500+ strong workforce. Leading companies have placed their trust in ITC Infotech; the company's Top 10 clients have been with ITC Infotech for over 10 years, a testament to ITC Infotech's commitment to delivering enhanced business value. ITC Infotech won the 2014 European Outsourcing Award in the category "Delivering Business Value" in European Outsourcing and is featured in the Global Outsourcing 100 "Leader's Category" by the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals (IAOP) for 9 consecutive years.
