Coronavirus scare pushes FMCG growth in February as personal hygiene products pick lead

The sagging FMCG industry got a boost in February and March owing to heavy sales in personal hygiene segment due to the coronavirus threat in the country New Delhi: The sagging FMCG industry got a boost in February and March owing to heavy sales in personal hygiene segment due to the coronavirus threat in the country. According to a recent report from data analytics firm Nielsen, the “Covid-19 scare drove a significant growth for the hygiene categories in February,” pushing the fast-moving consumer goods to 8 percent last month. According to the report, overall sales growth of personal hygiene products has “leapfrogged” in the first two weeks of March, while it has “sky-rocketed” on the e-commerce platforms, due to the lockdown and closure of shopping malls. Average weekly orders of products as hand sanitisers have shown 1,425 percent growth in the e-commerce sector in the first two weeks of March compared to February, while face mask registered 408 percent growth, hand wash 86 percent and floor and toilet cleaner 77 percent growth in the same period. Besides, “pantry stocking also drove offtakes of staples and processed foods in March” as branded pulses reported 72 percent growth and packed atta 25 percent in the mid-February-mid March period, year-on-year.