The Dharampal Satyapal Group (DS Group) has announced that its flagship brand, Pulse candy, recorded sales exceeding Rs 750 crore at consumer price in the financial year 2024-25. This figure corresponds to the sale of 750 crore units of Pulse candy during the year.
This milestone cements Pulse’s position as India’s largest distributed hard-boiled candy and reinforces its market leadership in the segment, which it has maintained for the past nine years.
Over the past three fiscal years, Pulse has registered Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 15% against a CAGR of 9% in the hard boiled candy segment industry highlighting the brand’s strong pull across both urban and rural markets, the company stated. According to market data, Pulse candy currently holds a 19% market share in India’s hard-boiled candy segment and has been growing consistently, it added.
“DS Group’s vision for Pulse, a leading Indian ethnic confectionery brand in India, is to evolve it into a multi-format, multi-occasion offering. We plan to achieve this by strategically moving into adjacent product categories, exploring innovative new formats, and capitalizing on the rich tapestry of regional flavors. Our consistent focus on brand building, enhanced consumer engagement, and achieving deeper market penetration will help us maintain our leadership position. We’re aggressively pursuing both domestic and international markets for expansion. On the domestic front, we’re leveraging our robust distribution network that has a reach of over 35 lakh outlets across India,” said Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman, DS Group.
“Pulse, with its delightful fusion of fruity and surprisingly tangy flavors, particularly the familiar raw mango with a zesty core, offered an unparalleled sensory experience to the consumer. This distinctly appealed to India’s preference for tangy tastes which was a significant departure from the Western-format candies prevalent at the time. Pulse candy stands as a testament to the evolving Indian consumer who is more value-conscious today and DS Group truly leveraged this understanding by disrupting the market with its pricing strategy. At a time when 86% of the hard boiled candy market was at the 50-paise price point, Pulse boldly launched at Rs 1. This wasn’t just a higher price; it was a perceived higher value that resonated deeply with our palates and our pockets. Pulse revolutionized the confectionery market by challenging the notion that candies were solely for children. It strategically tapped into an overlooked demographic, the adults, thereby significantly broadening the consumer base for impulse confectionery. Why should kids have all the fun? That was the premise. We leveraged our keen understanding of local palates and unmet consumer needs, allowing Pulse to redefine the segment and establish itself as a trendsetting brand with remarkable consumer loyalty. Even our packaging and design for Pulse was clutter breaking,” Kumar added.
