In Saharanpur, the agency for Vimal is with Rajesh Gandhi. His firm, Devi Dittamal Sundar Das, is a well-known name, and M/s R.G. M.G. Traders is also owned by him. At present, five to six distributors operate under his firms. Since Rajesh Gandhi has been in this business for over 40–45 years, he is well acquainted with every aspect of the trade.
Describing Saharanpur as an excellent pan masala market, Rajesh Gandhi told Tobacco Plus that the market is fundamentally driven by the ₹5 price point. Although ₹10 packs and larger pouches are available, the ₹5 MRP remains the most successful from a sales perspective.
Speaking about the shortage of brands in the market after the new taxation system, he said there is almost a scramble for products. Except for Rajnigandha, the top-selling premium brand, and Vimal in the regular category, almost all major brands including Dilbagh, Kamla Pasand, Bahubali, Shikhar, and Pan Bahar Crystal are facing shortages. Vimal’s supply is meeting demand, while Kamla Pasand has also started arriving gradually.
He noted that Vimal earlier came in a 2.8-gram pouch, but after the new taxation system, the quantity has reduced to 2.2 grams. The twin pack consists of ₹4 pan masala and ₹2 zarda, yet it is sold at ₹5. Overall, barring Vimal and Rajnigandha, even established brands are still not being supplied properly. Kamla Pasand too has only recently resumed supply.
Discussing market positioning, he said Kamla Pasand and Dilbagh occupy the top position, with only a marginal difference in sales between them. In some areas Kamla Pasand is number one, while in others Dilbagh maintains dominance. They are followed by Bahubali and Vimal in sales, while Shikhar is also steadily improving.
In the premium category, Rajnigandha holds the highest position. In the ₹2 sweet supari segment, Sweety enjoys one-sided dominance, followed by Rose and Ritik.
In khaini, Safal holds the number one position, followed by the local product Hathi Gola. In the filter khaini segment, Chaini and Coollips are in demand.