Grey snags ITC brief for packaged food brand rollout

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