Jalna Market Known for “Under-Cutting”:Vijay Madanlal Nahar
Due to its proximity to majorcommercial districts likeAurangabad and Nashik,Maharashtra’s Jalna marketposes a big challenge ofunder-cutting (cross-selling)for wholesalers anddistributors of all consumergoods — and this issueextends to the incense trade aswell. In marketing, mostcompanies assign wholesalersand distributors a specificdistrict or territory to buildtheir supply network. However,in many cases, products fromneighbouring districts are alsosold in other cities, whichcauses losses to the localdistributor.
Highlighting this, Vijay Madanlal Nahar,head of Nahar Brothers, told SugandhIndia that this is also the “specialcharacteristic” of the Jalna market. NaharBrothers, established in 1978, has been anagency for incense companies for decadesand handles brands such as Parimal,Ullas, Janak, Alaukik, Satya, SiddhiFragrance, Jordan, GT, Geeta of Jaipur, and Sachche Sai. Theyalso procure products from Kalpana Kasturi, Omega(Bengaluru), and both Oswal groups through order-basedsupply.
He mentioned that the Jalna incense market is excellent, butunder-cutting happens frequently — something that hasbecome a hallmark of this market.
Mr Nahar shared that his family business earlier dealt in dryfruits and groceries, but later they started taking incense brandagencies. At that time, there were very few companies in thetrade, and they initially got agencies for Shankar Agarbatti andCharu Perfumery. Today, they are wholesalers for these brandsand supply to more than 100 retail counters, covering both cityand rural areas.
He explained that medium-range zipper products sell themost in this market. Earlier, packs used to be 150–200 grams,but now they have reduced to 100–120 grams, as companieshaven’t raised prices but have reduced quantities. He added thatfamily packs of 300 grams and above are also gaining popularity.
In response to a question about top-selling brands in Jalna,he said that Cycle, Zed Black, Bharatvasi, Ullas, and Safari Bigare the leading ones. The market share is about 60–70% foragarbatti and 30–40% for dhoop products. Both wet and drydhoop are in demand.
Among wet dhoop products, Sachche Sai, Siddhi, ZedBlack’s Manthan, Shivani’s DJ, and Geeta’s ₹15–20 products sellwell. Most companies are offering schemes — such as 4–5 freepackets per dozen. In dry dhoop, Omega, Pareen’s Disha, andKarnataka Fragrance’s Blue Musk are popular. Jar packaging fordhoop and cones is increasing, with wholesale prices rangingbetween ₹35–₹40. For sambhrani cups, GT, Ullas, Neev, andCycle’s Naivedya are well-selling brands.
Talking about the camphor market, he said OK brand sellsthe most, followed by Shreejay. In Chandan tika (sandal paste),Krishna Murari and Hari Darshan lead in wet form, whileManohar dominates in dry form. He added that as satsanggatherings have grown in popularity, so has the demand forsandal tika. Among colours, yellow and red are most in demand.
Regarding roll-on perfume products, he mentioned thatArochem sells very well, and he also has agency for Riya,Samson, Saint Louis, and around 7–8 other brands.
Mr Nahar concluded by saying that people in Jalna arebrand-conscious — about 7 out of 10 customers buy by brandname. On average, a regular customer spends at least ₹100 perpurchase, while premium customers spend ₹1,000 or more.
