Johnson & Johnson expected to scale down India business

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
May 22, 2020

Personal care brand Johnson & Johnson is expected to scale down its retail presence in India and is in talks to sell off its site in Telangana previously intended to manufacture cosmetics and other products.

 
Johnson & Johnson recently stopped selling its baby power products as it permanently discontinued around 100 products in the US and Canada in the midst of multiple lawsuits, damages, and dwindling sales. The brand is also likely to scale down its operations in India and is in advanced-stage talks to sell off its Telangana plant, sources told ET Bureau. 
 
The brand has stated that it will continue to retail its baby power in India and other markets as there is still consumer demand for the product. Although Johnson & Johnson plans to continue retailing baby power in the Indian market, it will scale down the operation by reducing production quantities, the sources said. 

Johnson & Johnson has had its own controversies in India. In December, 2019, the brand was fined Rs 230 crore ($31.1 million) by the National Anti-Profiteering Authority on goods and services tax profiteering charges. 
 
The brand’s products were also tested in India last year for suspected traces of asbestos with contested results. Johnson & Johnson has always maintained that its products are asbestos-free.