Navchampa Sugandhalaya is a Big Name in the Ahilyanagar Market
NavchampaSugandhalaya is a well-known name in the agarbatti market of Ahilyanagar. In a conversation with Sugandh India, Mr. Paras Kothari said that his father started the agarbatti business around 35 years ago. At present, his firm holds agencies for nearly 50 companies, including Oswal, Kalyani, Big Bell, Zed Black, Vaishnavi Agarbatti Sagar, RKT Nagpur, Anubhav Incense, Karnataka Fragrances, Denim, Manohar Sugandhi, Mitra’s Loban Chintamani, Addition Attar, Mangalam Kapoor, Gayatri and Rajkala Kapoor. According to him, the company’s supply network operates across Ahilyanagar through nearly 800 counters and 700-800 sub-distributors. In response to a question, he said that the agarbatti market here is very strong, and since the famous Sai Temple of Shirdi is located in the same district, products related to worship, agarbatti and dhoop enjoy significant demand.
Responding to a question from Sugandh India, Mr Paras said that the ₹50 zipper pack is the highestselling format in Ahilyanagar, with an MRP ranging between ₹70 and ₹80. Oswal Traders’ Miracle and S. Oswal Aroma’s G-1 are premium products and are among the most in-demand offerings in the market. Replying to a question regarding fragrance and brand preferences, he said that the products he recommends to customers generally perform very well.
Customers trust his judgment so much that they often purchase products based solely on his recommendation. Therefore, there is no particular fragrance trend in the market; consumers simply want a good product.
In response to another question, he said that Karnataka Fragrances and Zed Black are the highest-selling brands in the region. Apart from these, Oswal, Big Bell and Mangalam Kapoor also enjoy strong demand.
Speaking to Sugandh India, he said that agarbatti still accounts for nearly 80% of the market, while the remaining 20% consists of dhoop, wet dhoop and dry s ticks. In the wet dhoop category, Zed Black’s Manthan pouch and Big Bell’s premium product enjoy strong demand. Apart from these, Denim also has a substantial market presence.
Responding to a question about the Sambrani cup segment, he said that products from Big Bell, Karnataka Fragrances, Zed Black and Manohar arepopular in the region. Karnataka Fragrances’ White Kasturi, Bakhoor, Blue Musk and Firdaus fragrances are particularly in demand. Products from Manohar and Dev Darshan also record strong sales. In the camphor category, both loose and pouch-packed products are in demand. Rajkala and Mangalam enjoy the highest demand. Loose camphor is also mostly sold after being packed in pouches and jars. He said that there is a market for loose agarbatti as well, although he stocks it only in limited quantities. In the attar category, D. Shankar’s Rose Attar from Mumbai is quite popular and is available with most retailers. In conclusion, he said that his business caters to both retail and wholesale customers.
