Move comes at a time when the $50-billion Unilever is looking to double its turnover in 10 years.
The slowdown in private consumption in the economy is taking a toll on the growth of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG). The net sales growth of listed FMCG companies hit a 14-quarter low of 2.5 per cent in October-December 2023 (Q3FY24). This is the lowest revenue growth for the industry since the June 2020 quarter, when the FMCG firms in the Business Standard sample had reported a 13.2 per cent Y-o-Y decline in combined net sales owing to the lockdown.
IndusInd Bank was the top loser in the Sensex pack, shedding over 3 per cent, followed by Tata Steel, HUL, Asian Paints, Titan and SBI.
Trumponomics, poor growth, and high valuation certainly don't make a bullish recipe for Indian markets, warns Debashis Basu.
Soren, addressing a rally in Bhognadih on the occasion of 'Hul Diwas', also claimed that the saffron party has turned 'jittery' after his release from jail and its leaders are 'conspiring' against him again.
The move to launch two new premium products back-to-back is significant since it marks the first attempt by Amul to trade up its portfolio.
HUL is keen to redefine the way in which brands tell their stories to consumers.
The combined market valuation of three of the 10 most valued domestic firms eroded by Rs 73,630.56 crore last week, with Reliance Industries Limited taking the biggest hit. While HUL and ICICI Bank were the other laggards from the top-10 pack, TCS, HDFC Bank, Infosys, LIC, SBI, HDFC and Bharti Airtel were the gainers. However, the combined gain of the seven firms at Rs 49,441.05 crore was less than the total loss suffered by the three companies.
What do we need more of: Leaders who dominate global institutions or local leaders with a 'Make-in- India' mindset?
From the Sensex pack, Hindustan Unilever, Asian Paints, Bajaj Finance, Nestle, Bajaj Finserv, Reliance Industries, Larsen & Toubro, Maruti, Infosys and Bharti Airtel were the major laggards.
The beauty and wellness formats will be started in Reliance Hypermarkets in May.
From helping their employees infected with the Covid-19 virus to vaccinating them or supporting the families of those who might have succumbed to the infection, several companies in India are trying to do their bit in this difficult time. Some have even widened their support net to include all stakeholders as well as an extended community. To the families of the employees it lost to Covid-19, Noida-headquartered IT services and consulting company HCL Technologies is, for instance, paying salary for a year, medical insurance for three years and extending support for their children's education for five years.
Six of the top 10 most valued Indian firms added a cumulative Rs 86,683.71 crore in market valuation last week, with HDFC twins emerging as the biggest gainers. On the top 10 chart, HDFC Bank, HDFC, ICICI Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Bharti Airtel and HCL Technologies were gainers. While, Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) and Infosys saw erosion in their market valuation.
Among the Sensex firms, Power Grid, NTPC, Tata Steel, Tata Consultancy Services, JSW Steel, Wipro, Infosys, Tech Mahindra, Reliance Industries and Bajaj Finance were the major gainers. Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, Hindustan Unilever, Larsen & Toubro and ITC were among the laggards.
Despite a slowdown, HUL introduced products such as Tresemme and Magnum into the Indian market
From the Sensex pack, Tata Motors slumped over 7 per cent. Adani Ports, Tata Steel, SBI, Power Grid, JSW Steel and Maruti were the other big laggards. However, Hindustan Unilever and Nestle ended in positive territory.
Of the top 10 valued firms, eight including Reliance Industries, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), HDFC Bank, Hindustan Unilever Ltd, HDFC and ITC witnessed gains in their market valuation. From the top-10 pack, the valuation of HDFC Bank jumped Rs 31,553.45 crore to Rs 929,752.54 crore.
Adani Ports, NTPC, Infosys, Hindustan Unilever, HCL Technologies and Sun Pharma were among the other big gainers. However, Larsen & Toubro, Bajaj Finance, State Bank of India, Axis Bank and HDFC Bank were amonh the major laggards.
Reliance Industries and Nitesh Estates, a Bangalore-based real estate developer, are in the shortlist to buy Hindustan Unilever's Brookefields property in Bangalore.
Irregular rainfall and a pick-up in commodity costs are expected to weigh on the demand and margins of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies. Most companies reported a sharp expansion in gross margins in the April-June quarter (first quarter, or Q1) of 2023-24 (FY24), given the lower prices of key raw materials and earlier price hikes. Furthermore, there were expectations that cost savings being passed on could reflect in volume growth going forward. However, these hopes could be dashed if demand recovery, especially in the rural segment, stalls, and gains on the raw material front start to recede.
Nine of the 10 most valued firms faced a combined erosion of Rs 1,87,808.26 crore in market valuation last week, with HDFC Bank and Reliance Industries taking the biggest hit amid an overall weak trend in equities. Last week, the BSE benchmark tumbled 1,538.64 points or 2.52 per cent amid concerns that the US Federal Reserve might raise interest rates further to curb inflation. Fresh foreign fund outflows also dented investor sentiments. Barring ITC, all 10 firms, including Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Infosys, ICICI Bank and Hindustan Unilever, were the laggards.
Spends by e-commerce players have now touched Rs 1,000 crore.
Worries related to the Iran-Israel conflict, quarterly earnings and foreign investors' trading activity are the key factors that would dictate stock markets this week, analysts said. Besides, trends in Brent crude oil and movement of the rupee against the dollar will also be crucial factors. This week will be crucial for the market amid ongoing worries about the conflict between Iran and Israel, said Pravesh Gour, Senior Technical Analyst, Swastika Investmart Ltd.
Nine of the top-10 most valued companies together lost a whopping Rs 309,178.44 crore in market valuation last week as selloffs continued. In a holiday-shortened past week, the 30-share BSE Sensex plummeted 1,836.95 points or 3.11 per cent amid geopolitical tensions, global sell-off triggered by a hawkish US Federal Reserve and unabated foreign fund outflows. From the top-10 list, State Bank of India was the lone gainer as its valuation jumped Rs 18,340.07 crore to reach Rs 467,069.54 crore.
Billionaire Mukesh Ambani-promoted Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) on Tuesday became the first listed company to hit the Rs 20 lakh crore market valuation mark. The market heavyweight's stock jumped 1.88 per cent to its record high of Rs 2,957.80 apiece on the BSE. It finally settled at Rs 2,928.95 per piece, up 0.90 per cent on the bourse.
'Due to rural stress, volumes continue to remain an issue for the industry, and we are yet to see any revival in demand.'
TCS, HDFC Bank, Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL), HDFC, Infosys, ITC, Kotak Mahindra Bank, ICICI Bank and SBI closed the week with losses.
The market capitalisation of Reliance Industries plummeted by Rs 43,491.37 crore to reach Rs 17,26,714.05 crore.
Among the Sensex constituents, as many as 16 stocks closed with losses with Nestle India, Kotak Mahindra Bank, IndusInd Bank, Bajaj Finserve, Titan and JSW Steel being the major laggards. Index major Reliance, Hindustan Unilever, Maruti and Tata Steel also declined due to selling pressure. In contrast, NTPC, TCS, Tech Mahindra, Bajaj Finance bucked the trend and ended the day in green. Axis Bank, Bharti Airtel, Mahindra & Mahindra and Tata Motors also defied the trend.
The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has rapped the fast moving consumer goods majors Hindustan Unilever and Paras Pharma for their objectionable deodorant commercials, and asked them to pull them off air.
Forty-four per cent management students graduating in 2010 have voted the FMCG sector as the most preferred industry to work in, terming giants like Hindustan Unilever Ltd and Proctor & Gamble as "dream companies", a survey said.
We'll not take our eyes off volumes, said Sanjiv Mehta, MD of HUD after announcing that demonetisation had reduced the company's sales four percent.
Colgate cries foul over P&G's claim that its Oral-B toothpaste is best in the country.
The two battle it out in the controversial but lucrative fairness cream market, spark a fresh bout of aggression in the war between the brands
The company has made public announcement that it is selling five residential property in Mumbai's prime locations of Cuff Parade and Vile Parle, which includes four two-bedroom and one three-bedroom flats.
Nine of the top-10 most valued domestic companies together added a whopping Rs 2,22,591.01 crore in market valuation last week, with heavyweights RIL, TCS and HDFC twins gaining the most. During the last week, the BSE benchmark Sensex rallied 1,690.88 points or 3.21 per cent. The index reached its all-time high of 54,717.24 on August 5. Barring Bajaj Finance, rest nine companies -- Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), HDFC Bank, Infosys, Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL), ICICI Bank, HDFC, State Bank of India and Kotak Mahindra Bank -- logged gains.
The top-10 valued companies added a whopping Rs 2.72 lakh crore to their market valuation last week, as the domestic equity benchmarks witnessed heavy buying tracking an overall bullish trend in global equities. The benchmark indices made strong gains in the holiday-truncated week. The 30-share BSE Sensex climbed 2,313.63 points or 4.16 per cent, while the NSE Nifty advanced 656.60 points or 3.95 per cent. Mirroring the bullish trend in the broader market, the combined market capitalisation (m-cap) of the country's top-10 firms zoomed by Rs 2,72,184.67 crore during last week.
The market capitalisation of BSE-listed companies jumped to a lifetime peak of Rs 404.18 lakh crore on Thursday helped by a five-day rally in benchmark indices, making investors richer by Rs 11.29 lakh crore. Recovering after a sell-off in early trade, the 30-share BSE Sensex climbed 486.50 points or 0.66 per cent to settle at 74,339.44 on Thursday. During the day, it surged 718.31 points or 0.97 per cent to 74,571.25.
Renewed inflationary pressures, led by a spike in prices of vegetables and cereals, have cast a spell on the equity markets in the past month. The BSE Sensex and Nifty50 have declined up to 2 per cent each during the period, clipping the 13 per cent rally from the March lows, shows data from ACE Equity. Investors typically consider shares of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies as defensive bets, putting their weight behind them in a falling market.
Eight of the top-10 most valued companies suffered a combined erosion of Rs 2,61,812.14 crore in market valuation last week, with Reliance Industries emerging as the biggest laggard. In the top-10 list, Infosys and Wipro were the only gainers. During the last week, the BSE benchmark slumped 1,774.93 points or 3.01 per cent.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances