Grey snags ITC brief for packaged food brand rollout

NEW DELHI: BAT affiliate ITC has picked Grey Worldwide as its branding agency to work on the cigarette and hotel company's foray in the packaged food business in India. Grey will handle packaging, advertising, PR and below-the-line activities for an undisclosed fee for the August launch of ITC's new brand, Kitchens of India, a packaged range of premium ready-to-eat regional cuisine from its popular Bukhara and Dakshin restaurants. These restaurants are located in the 41 hotels owned and managed by the group. Grey said the multi-agency pitch included Ogilvy & Mather and Lowe Lintas. Harshad Lal, Grey's account supervisor, said: "There are only a few players in the ready-to-eat food segment who operate at a national level. " The most visible national players are Tasty Bites, which launched a year ago, and MTR, which will soon add a vegetarian line to its range. For Kitchens of India, Lal said ITC would leverage its expertise in Indian cuisine, and its distribution muscle, which it built up for its cigarette products. The move is the latest in ITC's drive to reduce its dependence on tobacco sales. Along with food, ITC is looking at the greeting cards and gifts business to boost non-tobacco sales to 40 per cent of revenue.

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