Brands
Leela’s global wins spotlight a new era of Indian luxury
MUMBAI: Indian hospitality is having its moment in the global sun, and leading the charge is The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts. As international travellers and tastemakers look eastward for fresh interpretations of luxury, The Leela has emerged as the clearest, most confident voice of modern Indian elegance.
Its ascent has been marked by a year of sweeping international recognition. The Leela Palace Udaipur was named the best Indian urban escape by Robb Report’s Best of the Best 2026, while The Leela Raviz Kovalam claimed the title of India’s best resort at the Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Choice Awards. Udaipur, Jaipur and Chennai properties also earned honourable mentions, underscoring a nationwide signature of excellence.
In the culinary and lifestyle leagues, the accolades continued. Michelin Keys awarded two keys each to The Leela Palace New Delhi and The Leela Palace Jaipur, with Chennai securing one key. Bengaluru’s ZLB23 entered Asia’s 50 Best Bars, while New Delhi’s Library Bar joined India’s 30 Best Bars. Megu and Le Cirque at The Leela Palace New Delhi made it to Condé Nast Traveller’s top 50 restaurants, strengthening the brand’s gastronomic influence.
Adding to this haul, The Leela Palace Udaipur was recently named Best Sustainable Hotel at the 2025 Ultras Awards in Dubai, a vote of confidence from over 32 million members of the Gha Discovery loyalty programme.
What sets this success apart is The Leela’s uncompromising embrace of Indian identity. Rather than polishing away cultural depth to chase global trends, the brand has fused tradition with contemporary design, craft and service, creating an experience that feels both rooted and relevant.
The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts, executive vice president – brand and communication Anjali Mehra, said the awards reflect more than beautiful properties and attentive service. “Guests are responding to a coherent philosophy that flows from architecture to amenities, from the first welcome to the final farewell,” she said.
As India’s cultural confidence rises on the world stage, The Leela aims to be one of its most compelling ambassadors. “This is Indian hospitality’s moment,” Mehra added. “We are committed to helping write its defining chapter.”
With its growing list of global honours, The Leela is not just collecting trophies; it is quietly redrawing the map of luxury, placing India firmly at its centre.
Brands
Delhivery chairman Deepak Kapoor, independent director Saugata Gupta quit board
Gurugram: Delhivery’s boardroom is being reset. Deepak Kapoor, chairman and independent director, has resigned with effect from April 1 as part of a planned board reconstitution, the logistics company said in an exchange filing. Saugata Gupta, managing director and chief executive of FMCG major Marico and an independent director on Delhivery’s board, has also stepped down.
Kapoor exits after an eight-year stint that included steering the company through its 2022 stock-market debut, a period that saw Delhivery transform from a venture-backed upstart into one of India’s most visible logistics platforms. Gupta, who joined the board in 2021, departs alongside him, marking a simultaneous clearing of two senior independent seats.
“Deepak and Saugata have been instrumental in our process of recognising the need for and enabling the reconstitution of the board of directors in line with our ambitious next phase of growth,” said Sahil Barua, managing director and chief executive, Delhivery. The statement frames the exits less as departures and more as deliberate succession, a boardroom shuffle timed to the company’s evolving scale and strategy.
The resignations arrive amid broader governance recalibration. In 2025, Delhivery appointed Emcure Pharmaceuticals whole-time director Namita Thapar, PB Fintech founder and chairman Yashish Dahiya, and IIM Bangalore faculty member Padmini Srinivasan as independent directors, signalling a tilt towards consumer, fintech and academic expertise at the board level.
Kapoor’s tenure spanned Delhivery’s most defining years, rapid network expansion, public listing and the push towards profitability in a bruising logistics market. Gupta’s presence brought FMCG and brand-scale perspective during a period when ecommerce volumes and last-mile delivery economics were being rewritten.
The twin exits, effective from the new financial year, underscore a familiar corporate rhythm: founders consolidate, veterans rotate out, and fresh voices are ushered in to script the next chapter. In India’s hyper-competitive logistics race, even the boardroom does not stand still.
Brands
Brnd.me enters Europe as haircare brands power global expansion
Bengaluru: Brnd.me, the global consumer brands company formerly known as Mensa Brands, has entered the European market following strong momentum across the Middle East, the United States and Canada.
The company has launched across the UK, Germany, France and Spain, with plans to expand into Italy, the Netherlands and Poland over the next year. The push is being led by its haircare and aromatherapy brands, Botanic Hearth and Majestic Pure, marking Brnd.me’s first structured expansion into Europe.
The European beauty market represents a total addressable opportunity of over $4 billion across haircare and aromatherapy, supported by high digital adoption and demand for accessible, performance-led products.
Brnd.me’s hair care and aromatherapy business currently operates at an annual run rate of around $6 million, with Botanic Hearth and Majestic Pure delivering roughly 10 per cent month-on-month growth, driven by expansion and rising repeat demand.
To support regional growth, the company has appointed a general manager based in Germany and is evaluating investments in warehousing and local team expansion.
Early traction has been strong. Within weeks of launch, Botanic Hearth’s rosemary hair oil ranked among the top five hair oils in Germany, signalling strong consumer pull in a competitive market.
Brnd.me founder and chief executive officer Ananth Narayanan, said Europe represents the next phase of the company’s international strategy. He added that the European business is expected to scale to a $10 million annual run rate by the end of 2026, with long-term ambitions to reach $60 million over the next six years.
The company’s Europe strategy centres on digital-first distribution, repeat demand and TikTok-led discovery, alongside direct-to-consumer expansion to strengthen brand equity and margins.
The move also aligns with growing EU–India trade engagement, supporting long-term sourcing and cross-border supply chains.
Brands
TechnoSport taps quick commerce with launch on Slikk’s 60-minute platform
NATIONAL: TechnoSport has launched on Slikk, the ultra-fast fashion app offering 60-minute delivery, as the activewear brand accelerates its push into quick commerce to capture Gen Z and young millennial shoppers.
The debut brings more than 150 high-performance styles to Slikk’s platform, with an average selling price of Rs 450, expanding TechnoSport’s reach across over 80 pin codes.
The partnership follows strong momentum for TechnoSport across Q-commerce channels, where the brand has recorded around 60 per cent volume growth over the past six months. The company expects quick commerce to contribute nearly 20 per cent of its revenue in the coming years as hyperlocal delivery gains scale.
Slikk, which recently raised $3.2 million in seed funding led by Lightspeed, has rapidly gained popularity among youth consumers seeking speed, trend relevance and impulse-led shopping experiences.
Activewear remains one of Slikk’s fastest-growing categories, driven by shoppers increasingly treating fitness-led fashion as an everyday essential. The platform has reported a 30-fold year-on-year increase in items sold, reflecting rising demand for performance wear that blends comfort with style.
TechnoSport chief executive officer Puspen Maity, said the collaboration would help the brand engage more closely with young consumers whose fashion choices are shaped by instant needs and lifestyle aspirations. He added that rapid delivery bridges the gap between intent and purchase, allowing shoppers to access activewear exactly when they want it.
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