Why Reliance is Buying Old Brands

In recent months, Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) has quietly but purposefully embraced a unique strategy in the consumer business: reviving old, once-cherished Indian brands instead of launching entirely new ones. What might have once sounded like a nostalgic play has evolved into a serious business strategy that aims to reshape the consumer goods landscape in India — from soft drinks and personal care to consumer electronics. This trend of breathing new life into legacy brands reflects how Reliance is thinking differently about competition, consumer behavior, and brand value. By marrying India’s emotional connection with familiar brands to its own deep pockets and distribution muscle, the conglomerate is deploying a calculated move that blends sentiment with scale. The Nostalgia Advantage: Why “Old” Has New Value At a time when global players dominate many consumer categories, Reliance is betting that many Indian consumers still remember — and in some cases miss — brands they grew up with. Companies like Campa, BPL, Ravalgaon, and Velvette were once household names that defined everyday life for generations. Reliance is now reviving these very brands to tap into an emotional connection with customers that contemporary brands often struggle to match. This strategy marks a shift from Reliance’s earlier approach of relying solely on modern private labels or new brand launches. Instead, the company is opting to reintroduce heritage names with strong recall value, believing that nostalgia can translate into rapid consumer adoption — especially when combined with competitive pricing and broad availability. Early Success in FMCG The proof of concept for this strategy is already visible in Reliance’s fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) business. In FY24, the business recorded about ₹3,000 crore in sales, and just one year later, that number surged to approximately ₹11,500 crore. In the first half of FY26, the venture alone reported ₹5,400 crore in revenue, showing that consumers are responding positively. Among the legacy brands, Campa — once India’s own beloved cola brand — has emerged as a major contributor. In many regions, it has already captured double-digit market share, breaking the longstanding duopoly of global giants like Coca-Cola and PepsiCo. This resurgence underscores how a well-positioned heritage brand, backed by scale and marketing might, can carve out meaningful space even in competitive categories. Other legacy assets — such as Ravalgaon in confectionery and Velvette in personal care — are also being revived and expanded across distributed retail channels. These include Reliance’s own stores, kiranas, and traditional retail outlets, giving them reach that many legacy brands lacked at their peak decades ago. Pricing, Distribution and the Reliance Edge A core component of Reliance’s strategy is aggressive pricing — often 20–30% lower than competing brands — combined with attractive trade margins that entice retailers. By offering better economics to both consumers and sellers, Reliance is ensuring that these revived brands quickly reach a wider audience. Reliance’s distribution network, including its vast retail footprint under Reliance Retail and digital channels like JioMart, gives it an edge most competitors can’t match. The company can place products in millions of outlets — from urban chains to rural kiranas — often ahead of established global or national brands struggling with legacy distribution models. This capability mirrors what Reliance achieved years ago in telecommunications with its Jio rollout — a strategy of scale, affordability, and rapid penetration that disrupted incumbents. The brand revival playbook applies similar fundamentals: bold pricing + wide availability + strategic marketing = fast traction. Into the World of Electronics Taking this approach beyond FMCG, Reliance is also reintroducing iconic names in consumer electronics, such as BPL and Kelvinator. These brands once defined categories like televisions, refrigerators, and washing machines in Indian households. Relying on their emotional resonance, Reliance is positioning them as alternatives to global giants like LG, Samsung, and Sony. However, the company acknowledges that electronics pose a different challenge compared to FMCG. Consumer durables involve higher price points and longer purchase cycles, and many younger consumers have grown up with international brands that symbolize quality and status. Winning this segment requires not just nostalgia, but innovative product positioning, value for money, and after-sales support. To address this, Reliance is gearing up marketing campaigns aimed at younger demographics and expanding availability beyond its own retail stores to regional chains and popular e-commerce platforms. With electronics penetration still relatively low in many parts of India, especially in tier-2 and tier-3 cities, Reliance sees a significant opportunity to grow brand presence where others have under-invested. Capital Backing and Long-Term Vision Analysts highlight that Reliance has two distinct advantages others may find hard to replicate: deep financial resources and robust retail infrastructure. This financial muscle allows the company to absorb initial losses, invest heavily in marketing and distribution, and operate with a long-term view — not just seek short-term profits. Reliance has also restructured parts of its consumer business to facilitate future growth. For example, its FMCG arm, Reliance Consumer Products Ltd (RCPL), was previously part of Reliance Retail Ventures but is now a direct subsidiary of Reliance Industries, enabling it to pursue independent funding and potential future public offerings. Isha Ambani — who spearheads Reliance’s retail and consumer business — has publicly set ambitious targets, aiming to grow Reliance’s FMCG revenue to ₹1 lakh crore within five years and establishing it as India’s largest FMCG company with a global footprint. Industry Response and Challenges Ahead Traditional consumer companies — from Tata Consumer to Dabur and even global giants like PepsiCo — have acknowledged the shake-up created by Reliance’s entry. While some view the competition as healthy for India’s low consumption base, others recognize that Reliance’s aggressive strategies may lead to pricing pressures and shifts in consumer behavior. Even so, experts caution that success in electronics and other high-involvement categories isn’t guaranteed. Historic attempts to revive legacy brands haven’t always succeeded, particularly when competing against deeply entrenched, innovative rivals. Reliance’s challenge lies not just in reviving names but also in keeping them relevant to today’s consumer preferences. Conclusion: A Calculated Play Between Nostalgia and Scale In a market crowded with new brands and multinational competition, Reliance’s strategy of buying and reviving old brands is more than just a sentimental journey. It’s a strategic play that leverages emotional resonance, competitive pricing, and unmatched distribution capability to rapidly build market presence. Whether in FMCG or electronics, the company’s approach illustrates how legacy brands — when paired with modern execution and scale — can be transformed into powerful growth engines in today’s India. With ambitious revenue goals and deep pockets behind it, Reliance is placing a long-term bet that old brands can indeed be new winners.