Brands
Tata Global Beverages looks at wellness segment
KOLKATA: Tata Global Beverages (formerly called Tata Tea) is mulling to explore options of entering into the wellness segment by launching tea for diabetes and cardiac patients. The company with this aims at improving its business.
That apart the beverage company is planning to expand its water portfolio to 10 per cent of its turnover by launching ‘Tata Gluco Plus’ and ‘Tata Water Plus’ stage-by-stage across the country.
“We are actually looking at functional teas as an area of future growth. I think this is a very interesting subject going into the future,” said Tata Global Beverages chairman Cyrus Mistry.
A functional beverage is a non-alcoholic drink and consists of ingredients such as herbs, vitamins, minerals, amino acids or additional raw fruits.
“A number of categories in tea and coffee are still unexplored and the geographic reach continues to give us opportunities,” he said.
He said the philosophy of the company is to invest in new categories and geographies.
On tea price, he said, “Tea prices are volatile, but we are making all emphasis on innovation and improvement in procurement process to minimise the impact of rising tea prices in the future.”
According to Mistry, the water division currently accounts for just one per cent of the company’s turnover. During the last financial year consolidated total revenue of the company stood at Rs 7,819 crore, higher by five per cent as compared to the previous fiscal.
TGBL will continue to invest in NourishCo Beverages, a joint venture with PepsiCo India Holdings, despite it not being profitable in the short-term. “But we see revenue growth from this business significantly,” he emphasised.
The company is also looking at capacity expansion for its premium water brand Himalayan. “We have to invest significantly in building the brands in India and globally,” he said.
Tata Water Plus, a fortified water product was also bought by the Tatas after it signed a 50:50 JV with PepsiCo in the year 2010.
Tata Global has already shifted its headquarters to Mumbai from Kolkata.
Brands
Lululemon picks former Nike executive to be its next chief
Heidi O’Neill, who helped grow Nike into a $45 billion giant, will take the top job in September
CANADA: Lululemon has found its next chief executive, and she comes with serious credentials. The athleisure giant named Heidi O’Neill as its new CEO on Wednesday, ending a search that has left the company running on interim leadership since earlier this year. O’Neill will take charge on September 8, 2026, based out of Vancouver, and will join the board on the same day.
O’Neill brings more than three decades of experience across performance apparel, footwear and sport. The bulk of that time was spent at Nike, where she was a central figure in one of corporate sport’s great growth stories, helping take the company from a $9 billion business to a $45 billion global powerhouse. She oversaw product pipelines, brand strategy and consumer connections, and played a significant role in shaping how Nike spoke to athletes around the world. Earlier in her career, she worked in marketing for the Dockers brand at Levi Strauss. She also brings boardroom experience from Spotify Technology, Hyatt Hotels and Lithia and Driveway.
The board was unequivocal in its enthusiasm. “We selected Heidi because of the breadth of her experience, her demonstrated success delivering breakthrough ideas and initiatives at scale, and her ability to be a knowledgeable change and growth agent,” said Marti Morfitt, executive chair of Lululemon’s board.
O’Neill, for her part, was bullish. “Lululemon is an iconic brand with something rare: genuine guest love, a product ethos rooted in innovation, and a global platform still in the early stages of its potential,” she said. “My job will be to accelerate product breakthroughs, deepen the brand’s cultural relevance, and unlock growth in markets around the world.”
Until she arrives, Meghan Frank and André Maestrini will continue as interim co-CEOs, before returning to their previous senior leadership roles once O’Neill steps in.
Lululemon is betting that a Nike veteran who helped build one of the world’s most powerful sports brands can do something similar for an athleisure label that has genuine love from its customers but is still chasing its full global potential. O’Neill has done it before at scale. The question now is whether she can do it again.
