Company Overview

Reckitt Benckiser Bangladesh Ltd. (RBBL) is a subsidiary of Reckitt Benckiser Plc.-one of the largest household products manufacturers in the world. The global giant has started its journey in the Bangladesh region in 1962 as Robinson’s Foods (Pakistan) Limited. At that time the only product the company had was

“Robinson’s Patent Barley”. Because of huge consumer demand, the company then started to import and sell other products in this region. After independence, the company started manufacturing different household products in its own plant. In 1972 the company was renamed Robinson’s Foods (Bangladesh) Limited which was again renamed Robinson’s Bangladesh Limited in 1978. The merger of Reckitt and Colman in 1985 changed the company's name again and named it Reckitt and Colman Bangladesh Ltd. Another merger with Benckiser took place in 1999 and eventually the company was renamed Reckitt Benckiser Bangladesh Ltd. in 2000.¹

According to a report published by RBBL on 31 July 2021, 5.63% of the company’s share is owned by individuals, 82.96% of its share is held by Reckitt Benckiser Ltd.(UK), Govt. owns 3.77% share, institutions own 4.55% share and 3.09% of the company’s share is owned by foreign investors.

Reckitt has a vision of creating a world where people are healthy and can lead better life. To achieve this motto the company is passionately delivering better solutions to its consumers, as part of its mission. The company basically focuses on the small issues consumers face in daily life and then comes up with brilliant solutions to those problems. This vision of Reckitt and its continuous product development has made it one of the leading consumer goods brands in the world. The company has more than 15 successful brands in the global market.²

However, Reckitt Benckiser follows a local approach of market practice in the Bangladesh region. RBBL focuses on the needs and demands of Bangladeshi people and based on that it produces and sells some particular brands in the market. Currently, RBBL is manufacturing and marketing 12 brands in Bangladesh. The brands have been illustrated below:

Dettol

Harpic

Mortein

Trix

Mr. Brasso

Robin-Liquid Blue

Veet

Robinson’s Barley

Airwick

Desprin

Strepsil

Durex

RBBL’s one of the most popular brands Harpic had an 85% market share in the Bangladesh toilet cleaning market in 2019. RBBL’s another brand Dettol was recognized as the 3rd most preferred brand in soap class in 2018 by Bangladesh Brand Forum (BBF).³Reckitt Benckiser Plc. has employed more than 43 thousand employees worldwide.

Currently RBBL is trading in two stock exchanges of Bangladesh-Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE). The company made its stock market debut in 1987 by getting listed in Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE). In 1995 RBBL started trading in Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE). The trading code of RBBL in both of the stock exchanges is “RECKITTBEN” and its market category is “A”. Due to the pandemic the company’s sells has surged and eventually RBBL has seen 29.27% growth in 2020 than the previous year.

RBBL has received the prestigious ICAB National Award in 2020 while securing third position in the manufacturing category.⁴ In the same year RBBL has also received the prestigious Bangladesh Supply Chain Excellence Award. In 2019 RBBL’s Harpic has been recognized as the most loved brand in toilet cleaning category by Bangladesh Brand Forum (BBF).⁵

[1] https://www.thedailystar.net/business/news/36-corporate-companies-get-icab-national-award-2915036

1. ^ https://www.reckitt.com/about-us/reckitt-bangladesh/
2. ^ https://www.reckitt.com/brands/
3. ^ http://www.eblsecurities.com/AM_Resources/AM_ResearchReports/EquityReport/Valuation%20Report%20on%20RBBL,2019.pdf
4. ^ https://www.thedailystar.net/business/news/36-corporate-companies-get-icab-national-award-2915036
5. ^ https://www.newagebd.net/article/92952/home-grown-brands-bag-4-top-positions-in-best-brand-award