Strong Market for Bengaluru, Ahmedabad & Indore in Malda: Dilip Kundu
Dilip Kundu,head of KunduPlastic &Agarbatti, aleading seller ofpuja materialsand agarbattiin Malda, WestBengal, told Sugandh India thatagarbatti sales are very strong in theregion. Products from Bengaluru,Ahmedabad, Indore, as well as localmanufacturers, all have significantdemand in the Malda market.
Kundu Plastic &Agarbattihas been in the business of pujamaterials and agarbatti for thepast 12 years. He shared thatinitially, they dealt only in pujaitems, but on a friend’s suggestion,they started stocking agarbatti aswell. In the beginning, they keptproducts from 8–10 companies,which helped increase customerfootfall. Today, they stock severalbrands including Bharat Darshan,Denim, Zed Black, and ITC, all ofwhich have good demand.
He mentioned that they carrymost products from BharatDarshan, Balaji, Denim, Forest,Tez, and ITC, along with itemsfrom other brands. Super stockistsand distributors supply most of thegoods. However, for certain brandslike Forest and Utsav, they procuredirectly from the company. Tezproducts come from depot, whileBalaji supplies arrive from Siliguriand Sealdah.
Speaking about the Maldaagarbatti market, he said thatbrands like Bharat Darshan, Balaji,Zed Black, and Cycle consistentlyperform well. Apart from these,several other brands are also activein the market.
He noted that ₹10 agarbattipacks have almost disappeared,as they are now mostly purchasedonly by people who need to lighta few sticks in temples. Typically,customers buy agarbatti once ortwice a month and prefer largerpacks. This is why ₹20 and ₹40packs are in higher demand,especially packs containing 50 to100 sticks.
He added that eco packs, zipperpouches, and box packs all sell, butdemand for jumbo packs (around400 grams), especially multifragrancepacks like 4-in-1, is risingrapidly as they last for an entiremonth.
In the Sambrani cup segment,Cycle’s Naivedya is the mostpreferred, followed by brands likeTez, Zed Black, and Vijay. In wetdhoop, Balaji, Zed Black, and ITCare leading the market.
He further mentioned that whileBengaluru-based brands earlierdominated the market, now brandsfrom Ahmedabad and Indore arealso gaining strong traction. Incamphor, Cycle is the top-sellingbrand.
According to him, an averagecustomer in Malda spends up to₹100 per month on such products,and only about 2 out of 10customers purchase strictly basedon brand names.
