Monte Carlo slips into loss as sales drop in a seasonally weak quarter

MUMBAI: Winterwear label Monte Carlo just caught a summer chill on its balance sheet. For the quarter ended 30 June 2025, Monte Carlo Fashions Ltd. reported a standalone net loss of Rs 1,632 lakh, slipping deeper into the red compared to a loss of Rs 1,327 lakh in the same quarter last year. Sequentially too, the performance weakened, with the company reporting a wider loss than the Rs 1,028 lakh deficit in the March 2025 quarter.

Total income stood at Rs 13,896 lakh, down sharply from Rs 21,856 lakh in the March quarter, and only a marginal uptick from Rs 13,327 lakh in Q1 FY24. The drop was primarily due to a seasonal decline in revenue from operations, which came in at Rs 13,853 lakh, a notable fall from the Rs 20,593 lakh clocked just a quarter ago.

Operating costs remained high. Purchases of stock-in-trade touched Rs 6,418 lakh, and employee expenses rose to Rs 3,234 lakh. While inventory adjustments offered some relief (with a positive change of Rs 2,724 lakh), it wasn’t enough to offset the drag from expenses like advertising and promotion (Rs 1,039 lakh) and finance costs (Rs 1,105 lakh).

On a consolidated basis, losses remained nearly the same, with a net loss of Rs 1,622 lakh for Q1 FY26. Total consolidated income was Rs 14,897 lakh, again marking a sequential decline.

Despite a strong performance in the previous full year with a standalone profit of Rs 7,980 lakh Monte Carlo is off to a frosty start this fiscal. Seasonal cyclicality, high fixed overheads, and a muted retail environment appear to have squeezed margins this quarter.

The company’s equity base remains stable at Rs 2,073 lakh, with other equity reserves totalling Rs 81,337 lakh. Earnings per share (not annualised) stood at Rs (7.87), compared to Rs 38.49 for the year ended March 2025.

With peak season months still ahead and inventory realignments underway, the Ludhiana-based firm will be banking on stronger demand in the colder quarters to thaw the current chill. Until then, investors may need to layer up for some financial frostbite.