Colourful Growth

Street-smart and business-savvy, Berger Paints has fought its way up to be the second biggest player in the industry.

- Sajal Bose

Berger paints is pushing its early bird advantage to the full and hopes to retain a significant share of the Indian paint market in the coming years too. given that India’s growth in the infrastructure, housing, industry and re-painting market will continue in the foreseeable future, Berger has expanded its capacity across India and introduced new initiatives. the company reflects a mindset, where manufacturing is accompanied by large investments in research and service.

Berger paints means business. this ₹5,100 crore company had entered in India in 1923. it witnessed several ownership changes before it was taken over by the Delhi-based Dhingra brothers – Kuldip Singh and Gurbachan Singh – in 1991. The Dhingras, originally from Amritsar, were a large paints distributor, being in the field since 1898. After 1960, Kuldip and Gurbachan started paint manufacturing under the brand Rajdoot, which became a popular brand in north India in the 1970s. they became the largest exporter of paints to the soviet union in the 1980s. While Dhingra was on the lookout for a paint company to strengthen his exports to Russia, liquor baron Vijay Mallya decided to offload his controlling stake in Berger paints. Incidentally, Berger paints international was sold many years later by Mallya to Asian paints! it was a perfect opportunity for the Dhingra brothers and they latched on to it, acquiring Berger paints. the deal was funded through cash generated from their exports business. it was a new lease of life for Berger, which was under severe financial stress.