30% Premium Market in Asansol, Dominated by Bengaluru Brands:Akbar Malik
Asansol is an excellent market for agarbatti products. Around 70% of customers in the regions spend approximately ₹200 to ₹300 per month on agarbatti and dhoop products, while nearly 30% of customers purchase products worth ₹1,000 or more. In an exclusive interaction with Sugandh India, Akbar Malik, head of Fresh Agarbatti Trading and Manufacturing Company, said that the market for forpremium and fancy products is also very strong. This is why premium brands like Acharya Nandita and Balaji have customers who spend ₹5,000 to ₹10,000 per month on agarbatti and dhoop. He added that Bengaluru-based agarbatti companies dominate the market. Among the top ten selling brands are Balaji, Zed Black, Shalimar, Cycle, and Acharya Nandita. There are also many customers who prefer the best quality products, and 6 out of 10 customers buy strictly by brand name.
Akbar Malik’s family has been in the agarbatti business for three generations. He told Sugandh India that his grandfather started this work, initially operating under a different firm. Later, his father established his own company, and as the business expanded further, Akbar Malik founded Fresh Agarbatti Company. Under this brand, they manufacture agarbatti products, along with trading and retailing activities. He started the Fresh Agarbatti Company in 2018, before the Covid period. His family has always been engaged in trading and retailing. Under the Freshbrand, they manufacture products in ₹10, ₹20, ₹30, and ₹50 MRP ranges, supplying them across West Bengal, Bihar, and Jharkhand. They are also planning to expand their supply network to Odisha soon.
In response to a question, he said that his brother manages the retail counter, while he looks after manufacturing and marketing. Their best-performing product is mosquito-repellent agarbatti. In addition, their Sundar Van and Sanskar ranges, priced at ₹20 MRP, are among the top-selling products.
Answering another question, he said that their trading business has been running for many years. Their first agency was Manvi Agarbatti from Hyderabad, whose owners are related to the Maratha Agarbatti group. Later, they also took agencies of Asian and Acharya Nandita. He said that theirsupply network covers West Bengal, Bihar, and Jharkhand. They supply Manvi, Asian, and Acharya products to selected counters in Bihar and Jharkhand, while their Fresh brand reaches more than 50 counters.
Regarding the Asansol market, he hesaid that ₹20 packs are the highest selling, and this trend is common across West Bengal, Bihar, and Jharkhand. At the same time, expensive and fancy items also have strong demand. Acharya’s products, being premium, sell very well, which is why they keep 40–50 of their items due to strong sales.
Akbar Malik further said that Bengaluru-based brands dominate the Asansol market, followed by Gujarat brands such as Nishan, Dhanlaxmi, and Jaisal from Ahmedabad. He added that the dhoop market is growing rapidly, especially the demand for dhuna. Krishna Kala’s dhunachandanand sambrani sticks are popular. In the economy segment, Manthan is number one, followed by Mangaldeep and Balaji.
He also noted that the sambrani cupsegment is expanding, with Cycle’sNaivedya being the top-selling dueto its superior quality. The chandantilak market is relatively small in theregion, but camphor has a strongmarket. Among branded camphor,Cycle and Zed Black have traditionallyperformed well, but demand forBhimseni camphor has been risingrapidly. As more people becomeaware of Bhimseni camphor, they areincreasingly preferring it. Many consumersbelieve that Bhimseni camphoris the purest and most authenticform of camphor.
