Tag: Cornetto

  • Q3 FY 2025: Hindustan Unilever Ltd & the art of growing steadily

    Q3 FY 2025: Hindustan Unilever Ltd & the art of growing steadily

    MUMBAI:  India’s leading FMCG company Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) has reported steady financial results for the third quarter (Q3) and the nine-month period ended 31 December 2024. With a strategic focus on premiumisation, innovation, and cost optimisation, HUL demonstrated resilience amidst market challenges and rising input costs.

    Q3 2025 ended 31 December 2024, saw HUL record a total income of Rs 16,050 crore, a 1.7 per cent  increase from Rs 15,781 crore in the same quarter of the previous year. Its revenue from operations stood at Rs 15,559 crore, driven by solid performances in  the home care and food categories. Profit before exceptional items and tax remained steady at Rs 3,474 crore even as net profit rose 2.1 per cent to Rs 2,989 crore as against Rs 2,925 crore in Q3 2024. 

    Operating expenses were well-managed at Rs 12,576 crore, indicating efficient cost control. Home care vertical was a stellar performer with revenue climbing Rs 5,739 crore, with segment profit at Rs 1,086 crore, underscoring its role as a key growth driver. The beauty and well being vertical also saw revenues swelling to Rs Rs 3,556 crore, although profits declined slightly to Rs 1,018 crore due to higher input costs. And the food segment was a steady performer awith revenue at Rs 3,745 crore and proft as Rs 755 crore. 
    Ice-cream business
    On a nine month basis, HUL’s total income reached Rs 48,159 crore, up 1.9 per cent  from Rs 47,266 crore in the corresponding period of the previous year. Revenue from operations stood at Rs 46,759 crore, showcasing steady consumer demand. Profit before tax grew to Rs 11,053 crore, while net profit increased by 6.1 per cent  to Rs 8,196 crore. The home care category recorded a nine month revenue of Rs 17,143 crore, supported by premiumisation and product innovation. The beauty & well being vertical generated Rs 10,258 crore, benefiting from a focus on personal care products while the foods tranche delivered consistent revenue of Rs 11,398 crore, reflecting effective competitive pricing strategies. 

    During the quarter, HUL split its beauty & personal care division into two new segments—beauty & wellbeing and personal care—to enhance strategic focus and operational efficiency. Prudent management of raw material costs and advertising expenditure helped mitigate the impact of rising input costs and currency fluctuations.  A continued shift towards premium product offerings in home care and beauty & wellbeing bolstered overall performance. 

    Additionally, it got clearance from its board  (based on the recommendation of the independent and audit committees) to dissect the ice-cream business from HUL and fuse it with its wholly owned subsidiary Kwality Wall’s (India) Ltd. Following this, Kwality Walls will issue shares to all the HUL shareholders in a 1:1 ratio.. The ice-cream business had a turnover of Rs 1,595 crore in the year ended 31 March, 2024, that is 2.7 per cent of HUL’s turnover, and it has some great brands in Cornetto, Magnum and Kwality Walls. The demerger creates a leading ice-cream company listed on the stock exchange which will be given wings to fly with a separate managed allowed to focus on its growth. 

    The demerger followed a decision by Hindustan Unilever’s parent company in the UK to carve out its ice-cream business into a separate company. The rationale behind this separation was that in ice-cream has a different operating model, including differentiated infrastructure for supply and distribution, capital allocation needs, distinct channel landscape and go- to-market strategy. minimalist

    HUL also announced that it has agreed to acquire  90.5 per cent of the Rs 500 crore turnover  Uprising Science Pvt Ltd – which is behind the Minimalist hair care and skin care products range.  The HUL board agreed to a price tag of Rs 2,670 crore at a pre-money enterprise valuation of Rs  2,955 crore (and a primary infusion of Rs  45 crore) for the acquisition of the shares from  the sellers which include co-founders Mohit Kumar Yadav and . Rahul Yadav,  Peak XV Partners Venture Investments VII, Surge Ventures II, and Twenty Nine Capital Partners (General Partner). The transaction is expected to be completed in Q1 of FY 2026. Following that, HUL will acquire the remaining 9.5 per cent of Uprising’s  equity within two years.

    Minimalist will join the portfolio of brands in HUL’s  beauty & wellbeing division led by executive director Harman Dhillon. The current Minimalist team led by Mohit and Rahul will continue to operate the business in collaboration with HUL. 

  • Unilever partner Big Sync Music opens Singapore office

    Unilever partner Big Sync Music opens Singapore office

    MUMBAI: On the eve of Asia’s premier music conference, Music Matters, which kicks off in Singapore this week, specialist music agency and global Unilever partner, Big Sync Music, has officially opened its new Asian regional office in Singapore.

     

    The company has appointed Angel Lee as country manager and Marine Cremer as music supervisor.

     

    Lee, who comes from the Singapore Economic Development Board, is now responsible for overseeing all of Big Sync’s work across Asia – supported by Cremer.

     

    Big Sync, with current offices in London and New York, works with brands and creative agencies on global and regional advertising campaigns. It recently announced a global partnership with Unilever, making Big Sync the single supplier for its music services across all 400 plus brands in all territories covering music strategy, licensing, creative music search and amplification.

     

    In her previous role, Lee was responsible for charting and driving growth in Singapore’s music and entertainment industry by successfully establishing music businesses in Singapore for Asia. In her new role at Big Sync, she will drive the company’s business development strategy in the region as well as work with creative agencies on advertising campaigns for some of Unilever’s biggest brands such as Cornetto, Ponds and Lux.

     

    Lee said, “It is a privilege to be joining a young, fast growing, creative and energetic company that is both passionate about music and highly strategic in branded partnerships. It is an exciting time to be joining the company as there is tremendous growth in viewing music as a key building block of brand owners’ content strategy across Asia. I’m looking forward to leading a dynamic team to help different clients across Asia find the best sonic strategies for their brands, the right music solutions for local campaigns and being able to tap into Big Sync’s huge global network of music providers to do that.”

     

    Lee has over ten years’ experience in strategy, marketing and management roles across a range of music companies including digital roles at Interscope Records in Santa Monica and Sony Music in Los Angeles.

     

    Cremer was in-house music supervisor and audio producer at DDB Paris for 12 years and a creative at JWT before that, working on global campaigns from VW and Audi to Neutrogena and Nike.

     

    Big Sync Music CEO Dominic Caisley said, “Angel and Marine form the ideal team to help build on our successful first 18 months in business. Their combined talents in the music and advertising industries and also their local knowledge enhance the overall Big Sync Music offering and with a team firmly on the ground in Singapore. We look forward to helping more brands with their music strategy and also building even better relationships with local music providers. I’m taking part in a panel discussion at Music Matters Live in Singapore on Wednesday 20 May discussing how music is licensed in advertisements and look forward to learning more about the music industry in this region.”