This performance, which relates to the Mumbai metropolitan market, was communicated by the company to its dealers and stockists at the annual meeting held in the city recently. Dealers who attended the meeting said that the company was planning to launch a host of products in various categories during 1999, thus maintaining the same tempo as in the previous years.

HLL's personal products kitty includes, among others, successful brands like the Close-Up and Pepsodent brands of toothpaste, Sunsilk shampoo, Fair & Lovely cream. In soaps and detergents, the well-known brands are Lux, Hamam, Jai, Rexona, Surf, Wheel, and Rin.

Even in a stagnant economy, the company had launched and re-launched 64 products during 1997, and is said to have closed the year 1998 on a similar note. HLL launched 20 newproducts and re-launched 18 existing ones in the first six months of 1998.

Figures as to how much the Mumbai market contributes both in terms of value and percentage to the company's final turnover were unavailable. But there is no denying that Mumbai is an important benchmark, feel analysts, who add that the growth in this market will be on the higher side compared to the overall growth.

The company had posted a net profit of Rs 560 crore on a turnover of Rs 7,820 crore for the year ended December 1997.

The contribution of soaps and detergents to the turnover, going by the 1997 results, is the highest at 42 per cent, followed by beverages at around 20 per cent. Personal-care products contribute around 11 per cent to the turnover, and is the fastest-growing category.

During the first six months of 1998, the company's net profit rose 28 per cent to Rs 329 crore, against Rs 256 crore posted in the corresponding period of 1997. The turnover during the six-month period rose to Rs 4,662 crore, from Rs3,891 crore the previous year.

The annual results for 1998 will include financials of the erstwhile Pond's India, which was merged with HLL effective January 1, 1998.

The merger of Pond's India with HLL and the acquisition of Lakme-Lever were the major milestones for the FMCG giant during 1998.