Interview with Deccan Healthcare Ltd

We have improved demand by innovative wellness products that help people avoid sickness, asserts Dr. Minto Purshotam Gupta, Chairman and Managing Director, Deccan Health Care Ltd. 

What are your main growth levers?   

The main growth levers are personal awareness of self-care and more knowledgeable decisions on prevention. The awareness of the consumers post-pandemic has been very high which is creating a pull.

Secondly, the digital information in the hands of millennials is easing out the knowledge process and the experience process. On our front, this is developing into immunity care, hair care, skincare and libido care.

What are your top 3 strategic objectives?   

We only need to reach geographies and customers. We are reaching customers through online, digital and international markets. So, if you look at the approach, we are expanding into digital markets in India and globally and focusing on two new challenges – side effects of long screen time view and the bigger challenge are needed for better sexual experiences.

Sexual energy is becoming a hot subject. We are positioning ourselves in the adult wellness segment.

Your company offers trained wellness influencers on-call, how does that work? And what is the kind of response you have received to date?

We have almost 500 trained wellness consultants who meet the information needs of consumers and response post-pandemic is very high. We have been able to improve demand by innovative wellness products that help people avoid sickness. Now, prevention is a better choice. Like the rise in demand for yoga instructors, similarly our wellness consultants.

Do you intend to venture into another segment for nutrient pills and food meals?   

 We plan to launch our own brand “Nutridecc” to meet consumer wellness needs arising out of long digital screen time. The side-effects of long screen time are tech/text neck, digital eye strain, brain fog, and energy burnout. This is a future pandemic with every person spending about 3-4 hours on a digital screen whether it is mobile, computer or TV. These 3-4 hours a day are accumulating into 1500 hours a month and 15,000 hours in the next 10 years. There could be people spending twice or thrice as much. Our body system is not tuned to watching screens for so long. So, that category is being launched.

We also plan to launch new products in another 4-5 categories.

What is your earnings outlook for the upcoming quarters?   

The company reported a Rs 33 crore turnover last year. We expect to grow by 15-20% this year. This will be the base year to target Rs 100 crore next year i.e. FY23-24. Our actions this year will lay the foundation for Rs 100 crore next year.

The new channels like the Dubai channel in which we have signed an agreement, the private label channel, the new ‘Nutridecc’ category and the existing ‘Be Young’ business will add up to taking us to Rs 100 crore. They may not have an impact on turnover this year but will take us close to Rs 100 crore in FY23-24.