Commenting on the company's performance, Godrej Soaps managing director Adi B Godrej said, ``Our marketing initiatives and restructuring actions have fuelled the topline growth of our brands, while our cost cutting and capacity utilisation projects have helped in contributing to a healthy bottomline.''

The sales of Godrej brands of consumer products were up 28 per cent while sales from chemicals increased by 24 per cent over last year. The consumer products division of the company recorded sales of Rs 382.40 crore as against 339.80 crore in the previous year. During the year, the company's toilet soaps sales grew by 25 per cent while hair colour registered a 25 per cent growth and shaving cream increased by 28 per cent. Sales of detergents recorded a jump from Rs 3.09 crore last year to Rs 22.37 crore in the current year, after the acquisition of the Ezee and Trilo brands.

Operating profit during the period more than doubled to Rs 100.44 crore from Rs 48.38 crore last year. Margins exhibited an improvement with the operating margin going up to 13.6 per cent from 5.33 per cent. Interest charges were lower at Rs 47.7 crore against Rs 59.76 crore. While the depreciation was marginally higher at Rs 23.42 crore compared to Rs 21.04 crore last year, provision for taxation stood at Rs 6.41 crore. Among the initiatives undertaken to improve sales during 1999-2000 was the launch of the fairness soap -Fairglow- in the toilet soaps category and the national extension of Godrej Kali Mehendi in the hair colour segment. The company said in a press release that pursuing aggressive e-branding strategies for its products during the year.