The directors of the company have proposed this resolution of changing the name and the company is seeking shareholders' approval for the same at the annual general meeting.

Procter & Gamble, the giant US-based MNC, had earlier shifted its laundry brand (the successful detergent Ariel) to wholly-owned subsidiary Procter & Gamble Home Products. Interestingly, manufacture remained with P&G India, and contributed 23 per cent to the company's turnover last year. So, even though Procter & Gamble Heath & Hygiene will seek to focus customer perception on its feminine hygiene and health care product ranges, the company's exposure to the laundry and soap,as well as cosmetics and toiletries businesses (which contributed 7 per cent to the turnover last year) will continue to be high.

Commenting on the proposed change in name, P&G chairman and managing director Bharat Patel said: "The company will continue to focus on its core categories of feminine hygiene and health care. The new name will better reflect the nature and character of the business of the company."

Procter & Gamble India is a subsidiary of Procter & Gamble Company of USA which owns 65 per cent stake in the Indian company. P&G markets several leading brands including the Vicks range of cough and cold medicines and Whisper range of feminine hygiene products in India.

The core business categories of health care and feminine hygiene grew by 16 per cent and 6 per cent in sales respectively during the year. The company enjoys a leadership position in most of these segments. In health care, for instance, Vicks is a dominant brand with a market share of 40 per cent.

The company has beenreiterating its stand on focussing only on the core areas of growth. These areas have been defined as: health care, feminine hygiene care, laundry and hair care.

Procter & Gamble India posted a 31.6 per cent rise in net profit to Rs 43.18 crore for the year ended June 1998, as against Rs 32.8 crore last year. Net sales during the year increased by 13.7 per cent to Rs 440.68 crore from Rs 387.58 crore. The financial results exhibit an export growth of 43 per cent over the previous year to Rs 21.5 crore.