This year shook India's paint mkt, next will raise the heat

The largest paint firms prioritized growth, often sacrificing their immediate profitability

- Dipali Banka

Birla Opus, which has successfully commissioned all six of its plants, attributes its success to product quality and the consumer experience it creates..

After decades of calm, India's paints industry saw its equilibrium disrupted over the past year, as deep-pocketed conglomerates moved in-first with Aditya Birla Group's Birla Opus, followed by JSW Paints’ acquisition of Dutch major Akzo Nobel's India business.

As competition surged, the largest players prioritized growth, often at the expense of near-term profitability. One theme stood out in 2025: the paint war is far from over in India’s ₹70,000-crore market.

Birla Opus, which has successfully commissioned all six of its plants, attributes its success to product quality and the consumer experience it creates.

"The journey was fantastic and I think this is like a dream come true. We are into the next stage of how we improve the efficiency of this (our plants) to the next level," said Ajith Kumar, chief operating officer, Birla Opus.

Company executives did not disclose specifics on pricing, margins, or key geographies, but said they are on track to achieve ₹10,000 crore in revenue by FY28. However, the Birla-backed paint maker is clear that aggressive discounting is not central to its long-term playbook. "I don’t think these (discounting and pricing) are levers for long-term growth creation in any industry," marketing head Inderpreet Singh said.