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Tag: HCPL

  • Zeno Group wins PR mandates of The Derma Co and Aqualogica from the house of Honasa

    Zeno Group wins PR mandates of The Derma Co and Aqualogica from the house of Honasa

    Mumbai: Honasa Consumer (HCPL) on Tuesday announced the appointment of Zeno Group to lead its strategic brand communications mandate for two brands, The Derma Co and Aqualogica.

    As part of the mandate, Zeno will lead the communication strategy for the two brands by managing communications across both traditional and new-age digital channels.

    Zeno Group has been tasked with driving awareness of the need for hydration while building equity for Aqualogica.

    In addition, Zeno will also partner with Honasa in promoting The Derma Co’s skincare solutions powered by science.

    Speaking on the appointment, Honasa Consumer co-founder & chief innovation officer Ghazal Alagh said, “We are delighted to appoint Zeno as our PR partner. Their experience in handling consumer brands and their excellent understanding of millennial and GenZ consumers were impressive. We are confident they will ably partner with us in our journey to educate Indian consumers to make informed choices on science-backed skin solutions from The Derma Co and Aqualogica.”

    Adding to this, Zeno India managing director Rekha Rao said, “We love skincare brands that stand true to their promises, like The Derma Co and Aqualogica. The refreshing product portfolio gives us immense scope to explore PR creatively. Added to this, working with an admirable, dynamic Indian unicorn as its strategic communications partner is a matter of great pride to Zeno.”

  • Honasa Consumer onboards Pratik Mukherjee as vice president of Brand Factory

    Honasa Consumer onboards Pratik Mukherjee as vice president of Brand Factory

    Mumbai: Fast growing house of brands for personal care and parent company of Mamaearth, The Derma Co., Ayuga, & Aqualogica, Honasa Consumer (HCPL) has appointed Pratik Mukherjee as vice president, Brand Factory, where he will be responsible for crafting, launching, and building new brands business for Honasa. Mukherjee will be based out of the Honasa Consumer head office in Gurgaon.

    With over a decade of experience, Mukherjee has been a part of prestigious brands like P&G, Gillette, and Urban Company. He began his professional career with Tata Consultancy Group before moving on to IIM-Ahmedabad to complete his master’s degree. Thereafter, he joined Procter & Gamble, where he worked on the Gillette brand and oversaw brand launches and campaigns, earning him awards. He served as the head of Procter & Gamble’s DTC business for India and South Asia.

    Later, he joined Urban Company as the marketing head for beauty, grooming & cleaning verticals. As the head of marketing at Infra.Market (a construction unicorn), A Cannes awardee, Mukherjee has been acknowledged with various other awards like the Asia President’s Award and Global President Awards.

    Speaking on his role, Pratik Mukherjee said, “I am honoured and excited to join Honasa and contribute towards the journey to build a house of consumer-loved brands leveraging the digital-first D2C playbook. Honasa Consumer’s brands have created tremendous displacement, capturing sizable market share and garnering consumer trust in a very short period. I look forward to joining this trailblazing team and contributing to the next wave of growth for the company.”

    Honasa Consumer co-founder and CEO Varun Alagh said, “Honasa has emerged as the fastest growing D2C brand and being a digital-first brand, it is critical to constantly innovate and stay ahead of competition in this extremely dynamic digital ecosystem.”

    “Pratik has extensive experience of building millennial brands, and he will elevate and support us as we plan to implement efficient strategies to launch new brands and take the businesses to the next level with his knowledge and expertise. We are thrilled to have him on board as we expand the company,” he further said.

  • HCPL acquires a majority stake in skincare brand Dr. Sheth’s

    HCPL acquires a majority stake in skincare brand Dr. Sheth’s

    Mumbai: The parent company of Mamaearth and The Derma Co., Honasa Consumer has acquired skincare brand Dr. Sheth’s. Through this acquisition, the company has control of the majority stake in Dr. Sheth’s at a valuation of Rs 28 crore. The primary round of funds will be directed to accelerate future growth of the  brand.  

    While Honasa Consumers will have control of the majority stake in Dr. Sheth’s, Dr Aneesh Sheth will continue to lead the business and product innovation for the brand.  

    The products of Dr Sheth’s have been developed with expertise accrued by three generations of accomplished cosmetologists and dermatologists. The products are formulated knowing that Indian skin is unique and requires specialized care. The brands’ product portfolio has solutions for skin concerns like pigmentation, acne, dryness, wrinkles, and many  others. Some of the popular products by the brand are amla vc20 vitamin c serum, haldi and hyaluronic  acid sleeping mask, cica and ceramide overnight repair serum, among others. With over 30+ Skus, the brand has catered to over 200,000 consumers.  

    Dr. Sharat Desai, probably India’s first dermatologist, worked to put  India on the map for the field of dermatology. Following in the father’s footsteps, his daughter, Dr. Rekha Sheth, became India’s first cosmetic dermatologist and one of the preferred dermatologists by bollywood  celebrities. Dr. Aneesh Sheth, PhD Pharmacology and an Ivy league trained cosmetic scientist, founded  Dr. Sheth’s with the ambition of formulating skincare products using the knowledge aggregated over three  generations and bringing the best of nature and science together.

    Millennials are evolving and there is a growing appreciation for sophisticated ingredients. While they seek  comfort in traditional Indian ingredients in skincare, they also want to go beyond the conventional and  experiment. Sheth’s has identified this void and created a portfolio of products that blend natural  ingredients with science-based active ingredients, providing the best of both worlds. With a digital-first  approach Honasa Consumer Pvt. Ltd. has established its leadership in understanding millennial  consumer behavior and launching and successfully scaling consumer brands with a strong millennial  connect. The expertise of Dr. Sheth’s in creating specialized skincare for Indian consumers, coupled with the digital expertise of HCPL, will help scale the business of Dr. Sheth’s and further strengthen the  leadership of HCPL in digital-first brands.  

    Honasa Consumer co-founder and CEO Varun Alagh said, “Dr.  Sheth’s is a brand that is synonymous with heritage and legacy, and we are excited about this partnership  as it will help us widen our portfolio offerings under the HCPL umbrella. It will be a symbiotic relationship  wherein there will be knowledge sharing across brands and collaboratively build the brand and its product  portfolio.”

    “Being a house of brands, Honasa Consumer has attained expertise in building millennial  brands with a digital-first approach. We will utilize our expertise and proficiency in digital marketing to  accelerate the growth and scale growth for Dr. Sheth’s and we are confident that we will make it a 100 crores run rate brand in two years. HCPL & Dr. Sheth’s synergize on fundamental ideologies of distinctive product  innovation and strong millennial connect, we are confident this collaboration will be a success for  consumers and for both brands,” he added.

    Commenting on the partnership Aneesh Sheth said, “We are very excited about the partnership with HCPL  – they bring a level of operational excellence that will make our expertise and our products accessible to a  wider community. Their experience as a house of brands will also help us optimize our innovation and bring  about a great range of skincare that combines the best of both worlds – science and nature.”

  • Honasa Consumer acquires Bblunt to enter into hair color & hairstyling category

    Honasa Consumer acquires Bblunt to enter into hair color & hairstyling category

    Mumbai:  In a strategic move, Honasa Consumer (HCPL) – the parent company of Mamaearth, The Derma Co and Aqualogica has acquired Bblunt, a premium hair care, hair color and styling products brand from the house of Godrej Consumer Products Ltd (GCPL). In an acquisition aimed at further strengthening the company’s presence in the millennial personal care segment, the digital-first consumer brands company also acquired Bblunt salons operated by Bhabani Blunt Hair Dressing.

    As part of the acquisition, BBlunt hair care and styling products business will be completely owned and managed by Honasa Consumer, announced the company in a statement on Monday. However, BBlunt salon business will continue to operate as an independent entity, with the founding team Adhuna Bhabani, Osh Bhabani and Avan Contractor as creative directors and Spoorthy Shetty as CEO, it further said.

    “BBlunt as a brand, has been ahead of its time with its innovative product portfolio and its digital presence. The brand has carved a niche for itself and considering the market size of Rs 6000 crore in hair color and hairstyling, the brand has potential to grow exponentially,” stated Honasa Consumer co-founder and CEO Varun Alagh. “Being a house of brands, Honasa Consumer has attained expertise in building millennial brands with a digital-first approach. We will utilise our expertise and proficiency in digital marketing to accelerate the growth and scale of BBlunt. Since the brands synergise on fundamental principles and strong millennial connect, we are confident that BBlunt will be a great addition to the Honasa Consumer portfolio.”

    HPCL hopes to help strengthen BBlunt’s and use its D2C and e-commerce strength to scale up the business, said the statement. Through the acquisition, JM Financial acted as an exclusive financial advisor to the company.

    Estimated at Rs 6,000 crore, the hair color and hairstyling category are expected to continue fast-paced growth in India. With increasing millennial demands for innovative and trendy products, BBlunt has an edge over other brands in the market, according to the company, as the brand has built strong millennial equity over the years.

    Founded by Adhuna and Ashoke Bhabani over the last two decades, BBlunt’s has built extensive experience of styling Bollywood celebrities and transferring the salon experience and expertise into quality products. Over the last decade the brand has built a diverse product portfolio, currently consisting of hair colors, shampoos, dry shampoos, conditioners, styling products, serums and temporary hair colors. The product insights have come from stylist and consumer interaction and tested in the salon on real consumers – to build a product line crafted especially for Indian hair, weather, and water conditions, according to the brand.

    “The BBlunt journey has been an extraordinary one, it is a life’s work that led to the creation of our very own product range. BBlunt and Honasa Consumer Pvt ltd share a strong synergy and common brand values,” commented BBlunt founder and director Adhuna Bhabani. “Honasa is a strong player in the Direct to consumer/e-commerce space and they see great potential in the brand and the salon heritage that we have. We, the team, are very excited to see what the future holds in this exciting new chapter for the brand.”

    “This is a significant milestone for our business and is a testament to the outstanding team we have assembled, the rapidly scaling salon business we have created, with a solid academy and shoot vertical that we have developed,” said BBlunt CEO Spoorthy Shetty. “We are excited about the acquisition, and we look forward to supporting Honasa’s growth ambitions. This is a win-win situation for both companies and the expected synergies will allow us to broaden our customer, product, geographical and technological base. Our clients will continue to receive the same high quality service, which they have come to expect.”

  • Hitech Mobiles looks at Rs 500 crore turnover by FY16, set up assembling units at Rs 30 crore

    Hitech Mobiles looks at Rs 500 crore turnover by FY16, set up assembling units at Rs 30 crore

    KOLKATA: Kolkata-headquartered budget smartphone maker Hitech Cellphone (HCPL) is looking to achieve a turnover of Rs 500 crore by the end of next fiscal 2015-16 as opposed to Rs 200 crore reported last fiscal, eyeing more than 100 per cent growth.

     

    The company, which began mobile accessories business in Kolkata and grew to become a phone brand, is mulling setting up an assembling unit in West Bengal at an investment of Rs 30 crore. The idea of setting up an assembling unit here comes on the back of “uncertainty on import duty.”

     

    “Our present revenues are Rs 250 crore of which mobile phone sales account for Rs 200 crore and the rest comes from accessories. We are bullish about the growth prospects and aims to become a Rs 500 crore company in the coming fiscal,” said HCPL managing director Mohammed Gyasuddin.

     

    Hitech has expanded its product lines and reach, grew its revenue and market share as well.

     

    HCPL at present is working on importing cellphones from Shenzhen, China. It procures products from original equipment manufacturer (OEMs) and original device manufacturers (ODMs). “We sell around 20 lakh phones in the domestic market every month,” informed Gyasuddin.

     

    “We export to Nepal and Bhutan and we are planning to expand it to Bangladesh as well as Sri Lanka,” he said.

     

    Talking about the increased import duty, he said, “Previously, the import duty was two per cent and it went up to seven per cent. Now, we don’t know if it’ll shoot up more. In that case, we will assemble the phone here (in India) and we may either opt for West Bengal or Himachal Pradesh to set-up the final assembly plant.”

     

    When being asked about the markets they are betting on for growth, Gyasuddin said that the company is expecting major growth from upcountry areas in Bihar, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Gujarat and Rajasthan among other markets.

     

    The company further said that the brand Hitech has a strong presence in rural and urban market. “Our monthly sales growth in rural and urban population is around 30 per cent and 20 per cent respectively. Moreover, our products are recognized all over India through our e-commerce and channel distribution partners,” he said.