Reliance Consumer Products has entered India’s competitive ice cream market with Bombay Creamery ice cream, a new brand whose products start at just Rs 10. The launch puts Mukesh Ambani’s consumer goods business up against established names such as Amul, Vadilal, Mother Dairy, Kwality Wall’s and Hatsun Agro’s Arun, as well as global brands including Magnum and Baskin-Robbins. The Bombay Creamery ice cream range includes cones, cups, tubs, bars and sticks, and is currently available in western India before a planned nationwide rollout.
Bombay Creamery ice cream brings Reliance into the frozen dessert market
For an Indian consumer, the biggest talking point is the entry price. A Reuters check on a grocery delivery app found Amul’s mango-flavoured ice cream stick priced at Rs 20, while Bombay Creamery ice cream starts from Rs 10. The low-price strategy could make it easier for first-time buyers to try the new brand.
Reliance is already known for using aggressive pricing and a wide distribution network to enter crowded markets. Mukesh Ambani’s company disrupted Indian telecom 10 years ago with cut-throat pricing, helping Reliance become the leading player. It later relaunched Campa, its soft drink brand, which triggered a price war in the competitive cola market.
Bombay Creamery ice cream aims to use Reliance’s retail reach
The new ice cream brand is part of Reliance Consumer Products’ wider push into packaged goods. Bombay Creamery ice cream could gain an advantage from the company’s ability to combine pricing, retail reach, distribution and consumer data.
“The real competitive advantage will come from Reliance’s ability to combine pricing, retail reach, distribution … and data,” A. Manikandan, CEO of Tiger Consulting, said, adding that the low price point could encourage consumers to try out the brand.
Bombay Creamery ice cream faces Amul, Vadilal and global rivals
The bigger challenge will be turning those first purchases into repeat sales. Manikandan said Reliance could put significant pressure on national and regional rivals if it manages to convert first-time buyers into regular customers and expands its freezer network across markets.
Ice cream companies often provide freezers to retailers so their products remain stocked and visible. Reliance has already placed fridges carrying the Campa logo in stores as part of its broader consumer goods expansion, giving an indication of how its retail strategy can support Bombay Creamery ice cream.
Bombay Creamery ice cream launch signals Reliance’s bigger plan
Deven Choksey, managing director of fund and wealth manager DRChoksey FinServ, said, “(The ice cream launch) is part of their long-game strategy. With a complete ecosystem in place, they can … capture wallet share across the products consumers buy.”
For now, Bombay Creamery ice cream is a western India launch, but Reliance plans to take the brand across the country. With Rs 10 products, multiple formats and Reliance’s existing distribution muscle, the new entrant could become another major price-driven challenge for India’s ice cream market.
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Khalid Lateef is a Sub-Editor at NewsX Digital, specializing in Indian politics and global affairs. He also covers viral trending stories and major crime developments.
