Berger Paints launches expansion plan to protect market share amid pricing war

Berger Paints, which holds roughly a 20% share of revenue among listed Indian paint makers, announced a multi-pronged expansion to counter a pricing offensive led by Birla Opus and JSW Dulux. CEO Abhijit Roy outlined plans to bolster sales teams in Mumbai, Pune, Chennai and Bengaluru, regions where the company lags behind competitors. The firm also intends to launch a new luxury paint segment and add as many as 250 exclusive outlets annually, targeting a total of 2,500 stores by March 2029.

Brokerage PL Capital noted that the rivals are gaining ground, while higher raw-material costs and volatile crude prices add pressure on margins for Berger and Asian Paints. Roy said maintaining one outlet 20% market share is a solid baseline, with a goal of an extra 0.5% national gain if conditions allow. He anticipates the upcoming Diwali festival and ongoing infrastructure development to boost overall volume growth to roughly 8% for the fiscal year.