As Ayodhya readies itself for the glittering, much-awaited consecration ceremony of the Ram Mandir on January 22, and as millions of pilgrims and devotees pour into the holy city for the momentous event, companies are rushing to do their bit and be a part of the mega celebrations. Some are offering a part of their profits as donations, telcos are beefing up the number of cellular towers to ensure better connectivity, and there are those distributing jalebis and food platters.
A source with knowledge of the matter claimed Dabur might have already approached the two companies, without revealing further details.
Hit by inflation, higher input costs and pricing measures, fast-moving consumer goods companies are expected to see a contraction in their gross margin and a modest-to-flat operating profit in the October-December quarter. Several FMCG makers are likely to log a low single-digit rise in their revenue, returning to the cycle of value-driven growth.
Initially, hair care products such as Vatika hair oil and shampoos, Meswak toothpaste, Chyawanprash and honey would be made available.
Dabur Foods said on Thursday that it was eyeing to more than double sales turnover at Rs 200 crore (Rs 2 billion) in two years on the back of increasing sales of fruit-based beverages.
In a move to focus on its core FMCG strength, the Burman family, promoters of Dabur India, last week announced their exit from the pharma business.
Dabur India Ltd has sold its entire stake in its French cheese-making joint venture, Dabon International Pvt.
The FMCG industry hopes for a revival in consumption growth in 2025 with some 'green shoots' already visible, after having a challenging year amid escalating input costs and a double-digit rise in food inflation, which ultimately slowed down the pace of the urban market growth in the second half of 2024. Soaring prices of commodities such as palm oil, coffee, cocoa and wheat forced FMCG players to go for a hike of 3 to 5 per cent or resort to shrinkflation by reducing pack sizes and grammage to retain attractive price points, fearing a volume loss.
The Burman family, which runs Dabur Group, has denied any involvement or role in an illegal cricket-betting app as alleged by the Mumbai police in a complaint filed last week. The family said vested interests were behind the police complaint and they wanted to scuttle their (Dabur's) move to acquire Religare Enterprises, a financial services company. "We have not received any formal communication on any such FIR
FMCG major Dabur India has decided to hold back the expansion plan of its newly launched retail arm with an aim of capitalising more from further downslide in retail rentals that the company is expecting.
H&B's lifestyle retail arm, which will operate under the brand name 'new-u', marks the entry of Dabur into modern retail. The first new-u retail outlet is scheduled to open in January next year in Delhi and later expand to other major cities across India.
Although the school, through an oral submission, defended the use of the banyan tree, it has not been able to convince Justice Pradeep Nandrajog, who is hearing the case.
Dabur India's brand proliferation contrasts starkly with other FMCG companies' power brands. How effective will the strategy be?
Homegrown FMCG major Dabur India on Wednesday outlined a four-year business plan involving an aggressive expansion strategy in the domestic and foreign markets, including new product launches and acquisitions
Sources close to the development said this could happen at a meeting of the company's board of directors on Thursday.
Dabur is likely to launch these new products in the beginning of the next fiscal.
'Merely keeping low price may help in the lower segment initially but people have become much more aware and careful about their health and it will eventually determine value for money.'
Dabur's international business stands at around Rs 380 crore (Rs 3.8 billion), out of which Nepal accounts for Rs 40 crore (Rs 400 million), while Pakistan contributes around Rs 10-12 crore (Rs 100-120 million). However, the bulk of Dabur's international business comes from the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries and Africa.
Burman had sought permission to travel to Dubai from May 3-7.
Homegrown FMCG major Dabur on Tuesday said it would finalise plans within the next six months to set up a manufacturing unit in Pakistan through a joint venture. "We hope to conclude discussions soon... in the next six months," Sunil Duggal, CEO, Dab
Dabur India on Tuesday said it was planning a Rs 22 crore (Rs 220 million) investment in capacity expansion this fiscal to set up new manufacturing units and has identified Vatika as the umbrella brand for the fast moving consumer goods business.
With a gradual rise in temperature and the start of heatwave, FMCG and dairy firms selling cola-based fizz drinks, juices, mineral water, ice creams and milk-based beverages expect a spike in sales and have ramped up their production and stocks to meet the anticipated consumer demand. The makers are launching new products keeping in mind the evolving consumer preferences and also investing substantially on promotions and expansion of the channels this season, company executives of beverage and ice cream makers said. Beverages major PepsiCo said summer months are naturally the most favourable season for its category and it is "optimistic" that its portfolio of brands will continue to delight consumers during the period.
The Burman family is in talks to buy less than 26 per cent stake in Espirito Santo India.
Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies anticipate sustained volume pressures in the January-March quarter (Q4) coupled with sluggish rural growth during the period. Brokerages estimate top-line growth to be in low single digits in the quarter. Also, the late onset of winter had an impact on demand for winter products which range from moisturisers to hot beverages.
Leading FMCG companies reported a decline in margins in the September quarter on account of higher input costs and food inflation, which ultimately slowed down the pace of urban consumption. Rising prices of commodity inputs such as palm oil, coffee and cocoa were also accentuated and some FMCG firms have hinted at a price hike. HUL, Godrej Consumer Products Ltd (GCPL), Marico, ITC, and Tata Consumer Products Ltd (TCPL) have expressed concerns over squeezing urban consumption, which according to industry experts forms 65-68 per cent of FMCG total sales.
Dabur to consider demerger of pharma biz
Having already put in place an elaborate mechanism for self-evaluation of its board members, Dabur India said on Thursday that it will adopt a comprehensive whistle blower policy in the January 28
The company has also entered into an agreement with Pogo under which Odomos will use the image of Pogo's character Chota Bheem to adorn the wristband and mosquito repellent patches.
Equity investors will track the trading activity of foreign investors, global trends and ongoing earnings results for further cues, and benchmark indices may continue to witness consolidation in a holiday-shortened week amid the monthly derivatives expiry, analysts said. Markets fell sharply last week amid massive foreign capital outflows and dismal Q2 earnings so far. Weakness in the markets might continue in the near term amid cautiousness among investors ahead of the US presidential election early next month, an expert said.
A case was registered against Burman under the Income Tax Act for the offences relating to concealment of income and tax evasion.
In a clear indication of things to come, homegrown FMCG major Dabur India has decided to increase prices 5 per cent across most product categories to accommodate the sharp rise in the price of flexible packaging material made of polymers. This is the sharpest price rise effected by the company in eight years.
Ahmedabad-based Torrent Group has completed the acquisition of a majority 67 percent stake in Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Gujarat Titans.
The company has scaled down the size of the stores to 700-1,200 sq ft from its originally planned size of 1,500-6,000 sq ft, besides removing its pharmacy section. Dabur India had decided to hold the expansion plan of its retail arm as it aimed to capitalised more from further slide in retail rentals that the company is expecting.
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