HomeRetail NewsHomegrown grooming startup Bombay Shaving Company raises Rs 45 crore from Reckitt Benckiser

Homegrown grooming startup Bombay Shaving Company raises Rs 45 crore from Reckitt Benckiser

The round also saw participation from individual HNIs such as Rajesh Sud from Bharti Enterprises, Anjali Bansal founder of Avaana Capital, and Kuldeep Jain, Managing Director of CleanMax Energy.

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By Megha Vishwanath  January 28, 2021, 3:52:43 PM IST (Published)

Homegrown grooming startup Bombay Shaving Company raises Rs 45 crore from Reckitt Benckiser
UK-based global FMCG major Reckitt Benckiser (RB) has led an Rs 45 crore funding round in Visage Lines Personal Care Pvt Ltd, the owner company for the brand Bombay Shaving Company (BSC), making it the fifth round of financing.


The round also saw participation from individual HNIs such as Rajesh Sud from Bharti Enterprises, Anjali Bansal founder of Avaana Capital, and Kuldeep Jain, Managing Director of CleanMax Energy.

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With this investment, BSC plans to scale its operations while leveraging on RB’s global scale, expertise, and mentorship, helping to grow the start-up as the leaders in personal care for men and women.

The startup said this investment brings together BSC’s expertise in digital-first brands with strong e-commerce capabilities, and RB’s expertise in branding, manufacturing, and global scale.

"RB is a diamond addition to our journey. They have an excellent record in building health and wellness brands over their 200-years heritage. Working in partnership, our young team is ambitious for what we can achieve together and scale our operations with an omnichannel presence," said Shantanu Deshpande, founder CEO of Visage Lines.

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Launched in 2016, BSC has a portfolio of over 100 products across shaving, bath and body, skin, and beard care. Going forward BSC, aims to launch 3 independent consumer brands and grow to Rs 150 crore annual sales in 2021. They are also going back to expanding in offline retail distribution as the post-Covid footfalls ramp up.

Previously, BSC has been backed by Sixth Sense Venture Partners, Colgate Palmolive, S Ramadorai former vice-chairman of TCS along with 16 senior partners from McKinsey & Company since inception. In 2019, the company had also created Rs 20 crore of exit for early angels and employees.

"As we build omnichannel revenue streams we are cognisant that brands will be scaled through strong digital and retail distribution. Working with strategic partners over the long term will give us significant leverage in establishing ourselves in the Indian consumer ecosystem," said Deepak Gupta, chief business officer at Visage Lines.

As part of this deal, Arjun Purkayastha, RB’s senior vice president, eCommerce, digital, and ventures will join the Visage Lines board.

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Purkayastha, said, "We are thrilled to partner with the team at Bombay Shaving Company. Our investment represents a commitment to bring the best of two worlds together – Bombay Shaving Company’s expertise in digital-first brands with strong eCommerce capabilities, and RB’s expertise in branding, manufacturing, and global scale. Together, this combination of complementary skills sets us up for huge success."

As of today, RB has brands like Enfamil, Nutramigen, Nurofen, Strepsils, Gaviscon, Mucinex, Durex, Scholl, Clearasil, Lysol, Dettol, Veet, Harpic, Cillit Bang, Mortein, Finish, Vanish, Calgon, Woolite, Air Wick under its portfolio. With a presence in more than 190 countries, RB claims that 20 million of its products are bought by consumers globally everyday.
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