'The Indian consumer is moving so quickly and they have so many options.'
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.
FMCG major Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) on Thursday reported a two-fold jump in consolidated net profit to Rs 6,603 crore in the December quarter of FY'26, on a year-on-year basis, driven by a one-off positive impact from the demerger of its ice cream business.
Ecommerce (ecom) and quick commerce (qcom) platforms are expected to lead gig worker hiring in calendar year 2026 (CY26), adding nearly 1 million workers on the back of sustained demand for last-mile deliveries, higher order volumes, and continued expansion of dark stores into non-metropolitan cities, industry experts have said.
The rapid rise of quick commerce is anticipated to create a substantial increase in the need for blue-collar workers, with India projected to require 2.4 million jobs by 2027, according to job matching and hiring platform Indeed. Quick commerce companies hired over 40,000 employees in the last quarter to handle increased festive shopping and e-commerce demand, Indeed India Sales Head Sashi Kumar said.
Homegrown e-commerce giant Flipkart is experiencing a significant trend of senior leaders rejoining the company, driven by its people-first culture, opportunities for growth with ownership, and the chance to solve problems at an India scale.
10 stocks from the Nifty 200 index that offer good growth potential and scope to deliver decent returns from current levels, based on brokerage estimates.
Apple CEO Tim Cook's strategic pivot, from initial rejections to local partnerships and leveraging government policies like PLI, transformed India into a major iPhone manufacturing and export hub, now accounting for one in every four iPhones assembled globally.
'At the first sign of real trouble, that money will move. There will be a run.'
In a sharp escalation of regional tensions, US President Donald Trump issued a fresh warning to Tehran on Monday, asserting that the American military is prepared to sink any Iranian vessels that approach the newly established naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.
'Despite a challenging FMCG environment, ITC Foods has grown at or above the industry rate.'
'Instant home services act as an on-demand household support system, bridging the gap between informal domestic help and structured service platforms,'
Hyderabad police have dismantled a multi-crore illegal money circulation racket allegedly promoted by QNet, arresting 32 individuals across Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka.
Competition Commission of India (CCI) has notified the regulations for determining the cost of production, a move that will help the watchdog to more effectively assess alleged predatory pricing and deep discounting practices especially in the quick commerce and e-commerce segments. As part of efforts to update the framework for assessing predatory pricing, the watchdog came out with the draft rules in February.
Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) distributors' association has written to the finance ministry, highlighting concern over fund utilisation and fund accumulation by quick commerce companies and deep discounting of goods on their platforms. According to a recent letter seen by Business Standard, All India Consumer Products Distributors Federation (AICPDF) noted that its analysis indicated that approximately 80 per cent of these funds were directed toward customer acquisition strategies instead of creating cutting-edge innovations or sustainable growth models for the retail sector.
Prosus, the Amsterdam-based technology investor with net assets valued at over $200 billion spanning payments to e-commerce, has identified India as one of its most critical growth markets, and is increasing its strategic investments here.
In view of the disruptive situations, the Central government has also announced a financial relief package of Rs 497 crores aimed at helping exporters affected by disruptions in West Asia.
Highlighting India as the company's most important growth market, Fabricio Bloisi, group chief executive officer (CEO) of the Dutch technology investor Prosus signaled a sharp acceleration in artificial-intelligence investments across its portfolio in the country.
Leading FMCG firms reported a nearly two-fold increase in the share of quick commerce within their total e-commerce sales, and this surge is anticipated to continue, said a joint report by Deloitte and industry body FICCI. Quick Commerce, also known as hyperlocal delivery, is now reaching around 35 per cent of online sales and has become a preferred channel for urban consumers. "About 18 per cent of consumers prefer purchasing food and beverage items from Q-commerce channels.
Quick commerce (Qcom) platforms are bringing upon a rapid change in the behaviours of online shoppers, with 31 per cent of buyers relying on the fast delivery option for grocery needs, according to a new study.
Eternal, the parent entity of Blinkit and Zomato, on Wednesday said Deepinder Goyal will step down as its Group CEO and Managing Director with Blinkit CEO Albinder Dhindsa set to succeed him as Group CEO from February 1.
'If movement remains stalled for three to four months, more than 300,000 recruitments from India could be affected.'
Overall hiring volumes grew by 17 per cent year-on-year across key consumption-linked sectors during the August-October period, driven by heightened consumer sentiment, attractive festive promotions, and wider geographic penetration, according to a report.
Festive sales are expected to surge 27 per cent to cross Rs 120,000 crore in 2025, driving Amazon and Flipkart to expand warehousing capacity by millions of cubic feet and extend delivery networks to thousands of new pin codes -- an infrastructure buildout that could reshape India's retail landscape for years.
The Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Tuesday asked e-commerce and quick-commerce food operators to ensure a minimum shelf life of 30 per cent or at least 45 days before products expire at the time of delivery. The order follows rising concerns over violations of food safety standards in quick-commerce and e-commerce.
India's peak power demand is projected to hit 270 GW this summer, surpassing last year's record of 250 GW.
Dabur's business update for Q3FY26 indicated mid-single digit consolidated revenue growth. The guidance is that growth in operating and net profits will beat revenue growth. In the domestic business, home and personal care (HPC) revenue grew in double digits, while healthcare is likely to post a sequential growth in low-single digits.
'Headcount expansion is more likely in revenue-linked and product-critical teams than in broad based hiring.'
FSN E-Commerce Ventures Ltd, the parent company of beauty retailer Nykaa, recorded a 3.4x growth in net profit at ~34.43 crore in the second quarter of FY26, up from ~10.04 crore in the corresponding period last year.
'Expect our food delivery business to deliver sustainable adjusted EBITDA margins of about 5 per cent in the medium term.'
The India-US ties witnessed a major downturn after President Trump slapped a whopping 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods, including a 25 per cent punitive levy over Russian oil purchases.
Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) distributors' association has written to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, expressing its apprehensions that the "unchecked expansion" of quick commerce platforms was leading to severe disruptions in the retail ecosystem. India Consumer Products Distributors Federation on Thursday shot an email to the government, saying that significant challenges were posed by the rapid growth of quick commerce platforms such as Blinkit, Zepto and Instamart to the traditional retail sector and the FMCG distribution network in the country.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar addressed the Rajya Sabha on India's position regarding the escalating conflict in West Asia, emphasising the need for peace, dialogue, and the safety of civilians, while also prioritising India's energy security and trade interests.
FDI inflows into India are expected to register robust growth in 2026, supported by strong macroeconomic fundamentals, big-ticket investment announcements, sustained efforts to improve the ease of doing business, and a new generation of investment-linked trade pacts.
At a time when Flipkart has entered the quick-commerce race with a service called "Minutes", executives at rival players said they are in a wait-and-watch mode. They said they would be concerned only once the e-commerce firm is able to succeed in this space. The Walmart-owned firm's quick-commerce service has gone live in some parts of Bengaluru, putting it in competition with firms such as Zepto, Swiggy's Instamart, and Zomato's Blinkit.
The government is set to examine concerns over quick commerce companies potentially undermining businesses of local kirana stores, particularly in the context of the draft Digital Competition Bill, according to official sources. The Ministry of Consumer Affairs recently raised the issue with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs during discussions around the proposed legislation. "We need to assess if and how the Bill can address these concerns and explore further steps to include provisions to keep a check," a senior official stated.
'We serve more than 1.2 billion trips annually and have over 1.5 million active earners each month using the platform.'
Quick commerce major Zepto on Friday released its year-end report, 2024 unpacked with Zepto, showcasing how users are choosing instant delivery platforms for everything, from snacks to stationary and self-care essentials.
At the stroke of midnight, live dashboards lit up simultaneously across Amazon India's World Trade Centre headquarters and Flipkart's Outer Ring Road office in Bengaluru. In sprawling "war rooms" at both the companies, executives monitored real-time data streams tracking payment speeds, inventory levels, and delivery logistics as millions of shoppers flooded online platforms.
Hindustan Unilever Ltd's (HUL's) second quarter 2025-26 (Q2FY26) consolidated revenue rose 2 per cent to Rs 16,250 crore, with low or flat volume growth. Demand remained stable but goods and services tax (GST) transition and prolonged monsoon hurt offtake.
