Nirma Limited's ₹12,000 CRORE empire built with ₹3.5 detergent was killed because of comfort
In 1969, a surf cost 13, but Karsanbhai Patel sold detergent at ₹3.5 per unit and delivered it door-to-door.
At its peak, Nirma controlled 60% market share and sold over 1.72 lakh tonnes annually.
The yellow pack was everywhere
And, this SHOOK the A-player of that time too - Unilever
This was all while,
Surf evolved into surf excel, captured 38% market share & built emotional narratives.
Tide rewrote the playbook on whiteness & ruled 18% of market shares
But Nirma?
Same formula & packaging
Same 1980s energy in a 2020s market.
The Indian consumer evolved; they started earning more and wanting better.
With this, they wanted brands that felt aspirational, matched their "lifestyles"
Nirma missed the memo
What killed them wasn't Surf, Tide, or Ariel.
It was comfort
The belief that winning once means winning forever. It doesn't.
Today, Nirma has just 10.4% market share a HUGE DIP from 60% to 10% in 2 decades
The market doesn't care what you did in 1985. It cares what you're doing NOW
