Firm regains volume growth via focus on market share, market development, margins and consumers' mood
Food delivery and quick commerce firm Eternal, which owns the Zomato and Blinkit brands, on Monday reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 25 crore for the June quarter, as continuing investments in quick commerce and going-out businesses weighed on its bottom line. Titan, Hindustan Unilever, Bharat Electronics, Maruti, ICICI Bank and Mahindra & Mahindra were also among the gainers. However, Tata Motors, Adani Ports, State Bank of India and Reliance Industries were among the laggards.
Unlike many other B-schools, IIM Ahmedabad follows a cluster system of final placements process where sectors are invited in cohorts at regular intervals.
This stupendous success of Indian talent for Unilever globally is in no small measure on account of the strong foundations that were laid in the early years of the organisation, which is celebrating its 75th year in India.
The board of HUL, India's largest consumer goods company, will meet on July 29 to consider the proposal.
Volume growth, a key metric for most consumer companies, was down to five per cent for HUL in the third quarter from almost 9-10 per cent a year ago.
It borrowed cheaply in the West and now investing in high-earnings assets in India.
Harish Manwani, HUL's chairman, responded to questions from Viveat Susan Pinto on how his company managed to buck the trend after struggling for much of the financial year ended March 31.
HUL is all set to cut down on its managerial positions, with as many as 50 surplus managers losing their jobs.
Several fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies have said that they would pass on the full benefit of goods and services tax (GST) rate cuts to consumers starting September 22. Dairy major Mother Dairy, on Tuesday, announced rate cuts in products spanning its portfolio-- from milkshakes to paneer and jams to frozen products under its Safal brand.
While a merger means HUL taking over GSK Consumer's assets, including its employees, any mention of retention of employees beyond the merger is missing in the deal.
More than a hundred years ago, Hindustan Unilever launched a soap called Lifebuoy in India.
There is no near-term respite for the country's largest fast-moving consumer goods maker, Hindustan Unilever (HUL), which is facing multiple challenges on the growth front. With demand showing no signs of improvement, especially in the rural segment, the October-December quarter (Q3) of 2023-24 (FY24) is likely to be similar to the previous quarter, with volume growth in the low single digits. The stock, which is down 7 per cent over the past year compared to the 11 per cent jump for the S&P BSE Sensex, could underperform the benchmark in the near term as well.
Ashok Gupta, executive director, and D Sundaram, vice-chairman, will be directors at Lakme Lever along with Anil Chopra, who returns to the newly formed subsidiary.
The combined market valuation of the top-ten most valued firms jumped by a whopping Rs 3,84,004.73 crore in the holiday-shortened last week, in-tandem with a smart rally in equities, with HDFC Bank and Bharti Airtel emerging as the biggest gainers. Last week, the BSE benchmark Sensex jumped 3,395.94 points or 4.51 per cent, and the NSE Nifty surged 1,023.1 points or 4.48 per cent.
Among Sensex firms, Tata Consultancy Services, Adani Ports, Hindustan Unilever, Nestle, Bajaj Finserv and NTPC were the laggards. IndusInd Bank, Titan, Mahindra & Mahindra and Maruti were among the biggest gainers.
The Customer Complaints Council pulled up Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) for advertisement of its water purifier product 'Pureit Ultima'.
Among Sensex firms, Tech Mahindra, HCL Tech, Eternal, Axis Bank, Maruti, Tata Steel, HDFC Bank and Asian Paints were the gainers. However, Adani Ports, Trent, Tata Motors, Hindustan Unilever and NTPC were among the laggards.
Eternal was the biggest gainer in the Sensex pack, jumping 4.50 per cent, followed by Power Grid, ICICI Bank, Reliance Industries, UltraTech Cement, Adani Ports, Sun Pharma, ITC and Hindustan Unilever were also among the winners. In contrast, IndusInd Bank, Axis Bank, Bajaj Finserv and Bajaj Finance were among the laggards.
From the Sensex firms, Bajaj Finance, Infosys, Hindustan Unilever, ICICI Bank, HCL Tech, UltraTech Cement, Bajaj Finserv, State Bank of India, Tata Consultancy Services, Reliance Industries, Axis Bank and Larsen & Toubro were among the major gainers. However, Trent, Tata Steel, Tech Mahindra and Maruti were among the laggards.
Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty tumbled in early trade on Monday amid heightened tensions in the Middle East after the US bombed three major nuclear sites in Iran. The 30-share BSE Sensex tumbled 705.65 points to 81,702.52 in early trade. The 50-share NSE Nifty dropped 182.85 points to 24,929.55.
From the Sensex pack, HCL Tech, Infosys, Tech Mahindra, Reliance Industries, Bajaj Finserv, ICICI Bank, Tata Motors and Eternal were the lead gainers. Power Grid, Adani Ports, IndusInd Bank, Nestle, HDFC Bank and Hindustan Unilever were among the laggards.
HUL has recently developed a new process of manufacturing soap based on 'Plough Share Mixer' technology which eliminates the need for steam in soap making. The new technology cuts carbon emissions by 15,000 tons per year and HUL has been awarded carbon credits for this under the Clean Development Mechanism scheme operated by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
At the same time, seven companies from the coveted list witnessed a decline in their market valuation last week, but their cumulative loss of Rs 37,701.1 crore was less than the total gain made by three firms.
Terming the comments 'factually incorrect and without basis', HUL said Pureit was the world's largest-selling water purifier brand and had been approved for sale by regulatory authorities in countries such as Brazil, Mexico and Indonesia.
India's largest FMCG company expects a rent of Rs 200-250 a sq ft or a capital value of Rs 300 crore (Rs 3 billion) from the prime Mumbai property.
Sebamed's campaign for its cleansing bar of the same name, released across print, television, digital and outdoor, has also named Santoor, a popular soap brand from Wipro Consumer Care.
The haircare brand, acquired for Rs 330 crore, fetches HUL around Rs 400 cr of revenue annually.
Investors' wealth eroded by Rs 5.98 lakh crore on Thursday, tracking weak trends in equities where the BSE Sensex tumbled 1 per cent. Benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty declined 1 per cent in tandem with weak global market trends amid growing tensions in the Middle East.
While HUL's Fair & Lovely was launched in 1975, Emami's Fair & Handsome was unveiled in 2005. Both companies now straddle both the men's and women's fairness categories in the country.
Daily essentials and food products will be cheaper from Monday, as leading FMCG companies have slashed prices, extending GST cut benefits to consumers.
Anglo-Dutch parent's stake in Indian subsidiary rises from 52.5% to 67.3%.
Titan, HCL Tech and State Bank of India were also among the laggards. However, Hindustan Unilever, Asian Paints, ICICI Bank, Power Grid, HDFC Bank and ITC were the gainers.
For a product initially positioned as a "closet mate" which could help improve a woman's marital prospects, HUL Chairman Sanjiv Mehta says the communication now is all about women's empowerment.
Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) , the country's largest domestic institutional investor (DII), has seen a Rs 46,000 crore erosion in the value of its equity holdings amid market downturns in July. The benchmark indices, Nifty 50 and BSE Sensex, have slipped 2.6 per cent from their June 2025-end level to 24,837 and 81,463.09 respectively.
FMCG major Hindustan Unilever on Wednesday said clear instructions need to be provided to enforcement authorities across states for the smooth transportation of essential items and functioning of supply chain amid the nationwide lockdown due to coronavirus outbreak.
By targeting the salon-going consumer through Tresemme, Hindustan Unilever is taking its premiumisation agenda to the next level.
"Taking forward the brand's journey towards a more inclusive vision of beauty, the company will stop using the word 'Fair' in the brand name 'Fair & Lovely'. The new name is awaiting regulatory approvals and we expect to change the name in the next few months," Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) said in a statement. As part of the rebranding, the company will also be announcing the new name for the 'Fair & Lovely' Foundation, set up in 2003 to offer scholarships to women to help them pursue their education.
Relatively new brands of HUL, such as Closeup, play second fiddle to other legacy brands such as Colgate from Colgate-Palmolive and Vicco.
India's fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector grew 5.7 per cent by value and 4.1 per cent by volume in the July-September quarter driven by rural demand, consumer intelligence firm NielsenIQ said in its quarterly update on Thursday. Price-led growth stood at 1.5 per cent. According to NielsenIQ data, rural volume growth outpaced urban markets for the third straight quarter despite consumption softening in both regions.
