MAM
Taylor Nelson Sofres brings operations under one brand
MUMBAI: This is a move that reflects the changes in the global market research industry and the way that businesses use market information. Global market information group Taylor Nelson Sofres, has announced that it is bringing together all of its operations in 53 countries under a single brand, with immediate effect.
As part of a major repositioning and rebranding exercise, Taylor Nelson Sofres will be renamed ‘TNS’, uniting a business which had previously supported many different corporate brands around the world.
Where there is a strong local brand, as in India, the brand name will be retained but strongly associated with TNS such as TNS Mode in India or TNS Sofres in France. It is also intended to help TNS leverage the potential of acquisitions made over the past few years and meet changing client needs. TNS India joint MD Debi Basu said: “Our new brand identity conveys the sense of freshness and continuous innovation that has been the hallmark characteristic of TNS Mode in India”.
The new brand has been developed by global brand consultancy Wolff Olins and is based on the idea of being “the sixth sense of business”. It reflects the company’s ability to provide insight, intelligence and advice and not just information, data and research. It will further unite the company and clearly differentiate TNS from its peers. The new TNS marque is simple and bold; the positioning of the letters gives a three-dimensional feel and suggests a sense of depth.
One of the areas where the company provides services is in measuring the habits of the television viewer. Its Peoplemeter technology measures viewing habits and provides accurate viewing The analysis system InfoSysTV answers a wide variety of questions relating to audience behaviour data. TNS technology is used to conduct TV audience measurement in 25 countries.
Audience estimates are used to negotiate prices for commercial airtime and plan TV advertising campaigns. Broadcasters also use the data to evaluate the success of programmes and to devise future programming schedules
In India, TNS Mode has 12 offices including Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, Chennai (Madras), Kolkata (Calcutta) and Hyderabad.The company conducts both quantitative and qualitative research, and has specialised divisions for social developmental projects, qualitative research, automotive research and research involving IT & Telecom sectors.
It has a face-to-face omnibus in 12 large towns of the country. It also claims to have pioneered specialised research technologies in the country such as Single Source Panel, Trade Research, application of Ethnography in consumer research and multivariate analysis such as Conjoint.
Brands
Kwality Wall’s reports standalone losses following strategic HUL demerger
Ice cream major faces Rs 64 crore Ebitda loss amid commodity inflation and muted Q3 sales
MUMBAI: Kwality Wall’s (India) Limited (KWIL) has released its first set of financial results as a standalone entity, revealing a challenging start to its independent journey. Following its successful demerger from Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) on 1st December 2025 and its subsequent listing on 16th February 2026, the company is navigating a transition period marked by structural changes and high input costs.
For the quarter ended 31st December 2025, the company reported revenue of Rs 222 crores. Despite the revenue base, the bottom line was impacted by several factors, resulting in an Ebitda loss of Rs 64.2 crores. When calculated on a Pre-IND AS 116 basis, the Ebitda loss stood at Rs 83.8 crores.
Organic Sales Growth (OSG) declined by 6.5 per cent year-on-year during the quarter. Volume growth, however, saw a marginal increase of 1.2 per cent. The company reported a gross margin of 41.5 per cent. Additionally, exceptional expenses amounting to Rs 94 crores were recorded, primarily linked to non-recurring costs during the transition phase.
Performance across portfolios and channels was mixed. Within the impulse portfolio, brands such as Magnum and Cornetto recorded mid-single digit volume growth, indicating steady demand in on-the-go consumption. However, the in-home portfolio, which includes take-home packs, experienced muted consumption. The company is planning a relaunch of this category with improved offerings ahead of the 2026 season.
Quick commerce (Q-Com) continued to emerge as a strong growth driver, delivering robust double-digit growth during the quarter. Meanwhile, the company also expanded its physical distribution network by increasing the number of company-owned cabinets across markets.
Margin pressure during the quarter was driven by a combination of one-off factors and broader cost inflation. Gross margins were impacted by around 600 basis points due to trade investments made for stock liquidation. Additionally, cocoa price inflation contributed to another 400 basis points of pressure on margins.
Deputy managing director Chitrank Goel attributed the muted performance partly to prolonged monsoons and transitional challenges linked to the GST framework. Operating expenses also increased as the company invested in establishing its standalone supply chain, operational systems and corporate infrastructure following the demerger.
Looking ahead, the management remains focused on a volume-driven growth strategy. To restore profitability, the company has initiated a cost productivity programme aimed at reducing non-consumer-facing costs. It is also working on building regional manufacturing networks to optimise logistics expenses and improve operational efficiency.
The commodity outlook for the near term remains mixed. Dairy prices are expected to remain firm due to tight supply conditions and rising fodder costs. Sugar prices may also move higher following increases in the Minimum Selling Price (MSP). While cocoa prices have moderated recently, currency depreciation has offset some of the potential cost relief for the company.
