Burjis Godrej, 25, son of Nadir Godrej will join Godrej Agrovet in July
A weak margin outlook in the near term and lack of fresh triggers may keep the Godrej Consumer Products (GCPL) stock under pressure. The stock, after tepid September quarter (Q2) results and marginal downward revision in earnings estimates, declined 3.5 per cent in trade on Friday. Though consolidated sales of the company, which owns the Goodknight and Cinthol brands, grew 8.5 per cent year-on-year (YoY), its operating profit declined because of the sharp contraction in margins.
Politics is his first love, but it is downright business that he is trying to learn, at the Godrej group. Some three weeks ago, Pirojsha Godrej, Adi and Parmeshwar Godrej's 23-year-old son, joined the family business as a management trainee.
An industrial house bred in old-school manufacturing values, Godrej & Boyce has displayed unusual agility to become a trusted builder of advanced weaponry, discovers Ajai Shukla.
Noting that there is a huge potential in the agricultural sector, he said value added production through processing could add considerably to the economic growth.
The Godrej group is revising its investment plans and revisiting its growth targets for the current financial year, as well as for the next five years, in anticipating of a higher GDP growth rate now that the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government is firmly in the saddle for a second term at the Centre.
At the heart of the disagreement is a 1,000-acre land parcel, part of the 3,400 acres owned by the family in Vikhroli, a northeastern suburb of Mumbai.
The company, which has liquid detergent brands like Ezee and liquid cleaning agent brands like Godrej Dish Wash Liquid and Kiwi Kleen, is looking at companies that have good brands and distribution networks, largely in household care (detergents, cleaning agents segment) and haircare, with focus on colours and hair dyes. "Given the right opportunity, the company will spend around $100 million (Rs 5 billion)," said a source close to the development.
"A rising rupee is a good time to go and acquire companies abroad," Godrej Group Chairman Adi Godrej said at the India Economic Summit in New Delhi on Monday.
The national real estate market presents an intriguing picture. Lower volumes and flat pricing serve as dampeners. Sales bookings across the top ten markets have seen 6 per cent growth year-on-year (Y-o-Y) between April and August 2024, but sales volume is down 8 per cent Y-o-Y. Unsold inventory is up.
In a major deal in the FMCG sector, Godrej Beverages and Foods Ltd is all set to acquire Chittoor-based Nutrine Confectionery Company Ltd for around Rs 270 crore (Rs 2.7 billion).
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.
From the 30-share pack, Hindustan Unilever, Tata Motors, Axis Bank, Nestle India, Asian Paints, ITC, Reliance Industries, Mahindra & Mahindra, IndusInd Bank and State Bank of India were among the laggards. Larsen & Toubro, Tata Steel, JSW Steel, HDFC Bank, Adani Ports, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Bharti Airtel and PowerGrid were among the gainers.
The real estate sector might have been caught off guard by the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, but large listed developers like Godrej Properties and Prestige Estates Projects soldier on undeterred. They aim to have sales bookings of Rs 10,000 crore in the next few years.
Swanky flats, mall to replace the iconic property.
After acquisitions in Europe and Africa in the last 12 months, the Godrej group is now looking at possible acquisitions in Brazil and Indonesia.
Stressing the need for the government to take more steps for boosting growth, noted industrialist and Godrej Group chief Adi Godrej on Thursday said the Indian economy needs a lot more liquidity to sustain its growth momentum.
Godrej and Big Bazaar have stood out in the consumer goods and service spaces by acing the challenge of aligning innovation with outcome.
Adi Godrej, 75, will become chairman emeritus after leading the company for 17 years as Nisaba, currently executive director of the company, assumes the new role of executive chairperson at Godrej Consumer Products on May 10, 2017.
Hungry for deals, Godrej Properties plans to treble the number of project launches in the current financial year, from five launches in FY2012 to 15 in FY2013.
The space agency has set 2020 as the deadline for the first privately built rocket to be launched into space.
Godrej Upstream Ltd, part of the Godrej Group, needs Customer Relationship Associates at their Thane BPO centre.
While domestic market growth is important, the sales trajectory in the international markets, which account for 45 per cent of the revenues, will be a key rerating trigger, say analysts.
During the first half of 2014 (a slow phase), Godrej Properties notched Rs 1,900 crore (Rs 19 billion) of sales, almost equivalent to what was recorded in all of 2013.
Godrej Properties, the real estate arm of the Godrej group, has initiated two projects worth Rs 850 crore in Bangalore.
With crude palm oil prices on the rise, companies have started to jack up rates of soaps and edible oils in order to pass on the hike to consumers. Crude palm oil, one of the main ingredients in the manufacture of some consumer goods, saw a price rise of 45.2 per cent in the last three months. One of the country's largest consumer companies, Hindustan Unilever, said it has already started to take price increases in the skin cleansing category.
Godrej Agrovet Limited has entered into a joint venture with Advanced Chemical Industries Limited, Bangladesh, to set up animal feed and poultry businesses in Bangladesh.
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.
Godrej to focus more on own brands as the licensing agreement with Sara Lee ends in two years.
"I do not think prices can come down because costs are high. We have not seen any decline in prices so far, says Adi Godrej"
While two Godrej Group companies that manufacture soaps and edible oil are listed, Godrej & Boyce is still privately held. And, it is the jewel of the Group with its FY07 turnover close to Rs 3,000 crore and profit of over Rs 100 crore.
After a year of decline, mergers and acquisitions (M&As) in India increased 13.8 per cent, reaching $69.2 billion in the first nine months of 2024, as against $60.8 billion during the same period in 2023. Led by Indian companies and private-equity (PE) firms, 2,301 transactions were signed between January and September this year as compared to 1,855 transactions reported in the same period last year, according to the Bloomberg data.
The slowdown is behind us and the country will grow at around 9-10 per cent, believes Adi Godrej, chairman of the Godrej Group.
