MAM
Oven Story launches limited-edition ‘Kiddy Pizzas’
Mumbai: Oven Story, from the house of Rebel Foods, is celebrating Children’s Day with the launch of its one-of-its-kind, limited-edition ‘Kiddy Pizzas’ – an innovative campaign designed to break the clutter and capture the hearts of both adults and kids alike.
Available across 140 kitchens in seven major cities such as Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Mumbai, Pune, Kolkata, and Delhi-NCR, this playful range of pizzas is designed to spark joy and rekindle childhood memories. From 8 to 14 November, pizza lovers can order these nostalgic treats, bringing a whimsical twist to their meal with pizzas available in delightful shapes like Duck, Star, and Unicorn – all customisable at no extra cost.
This innovative ‘Time to Be Kids Again’ campaign goes beyond the pizzas, offering a full nostalgia experience. Each order includes a lollipop with a QR code and the message, ‘It’s time to be kids again,’ inviting customers to explore more memories. Additionally, every Kiddy Pizza comes with a nostalgic kit featuring paper and step-by-step instructions to fold classic shapes like a boat, aeroplane, and dog, bringing back cherished moments from childhood.
Rebel Foods CMO Nishant Kedia said, “At Oven Story, we wanted to create something that resonates with everyone who yearns to relive the joy of being a child. The idea for Kiddy Pizzas came from a desire to make mealtime a moment of fun and play, not just for kids, but for the kid in all of us. With Children’s Day around the corner, we thought it was the perfect time to launch a campaign that encourages everyone to take a little break from the ordinary and reconnect with their playful side. Our brand is all about creating delightful experiences, and we hope these Kiddy Pizzas bring smiles to our customers, one slice at a time.”
Kiddy Pizzas are now available on the Oven Story app and website till 14 November.
Brands
Estée Lauder to shed 10,000 jobs as new boss bets on digital shift
The cosmetics giant raises its profit outlook but stays silent on a possible merger with Spain’s Puig, as job cuts deepen and a three-year sales slump weighs on the turnaround
NEW YORK: Stéphane de La Faverie is not done cutting. Estée Lauder announced on Friday that it plans to eliminate as many as 3,000 additional jobs, taking its total redundancy programme to as many as 10,000 roles, up from a previous target of 7,000 announced a year ago. The company, which owns La Mer, The Ordinary, Tom Ford, and Aveda, employs roughly 57,000 people worldwide. The mathematics of what is now being contemplated is stark.
The fresh round of cuts is expected to generate a further $200 million in savings, bringing the total annual savings from the programme to as much as $1.2 billion before taxes. That money, De La Faverie has made clear, will be ploughed back into the turnaround.
A CEO in a hurry
De La Faverie, who took the helm in January 2025, inherited a company that had endured three consecutive years of annual sales declines. His response has been to move fast and cut deep. A significant portion of the latest redundancies reflects his push to reduce headcount at US department stores, long a cornerstone of Estée Lauder’s distribution model but now a channel in structural decline. In their place, he is accelerating the shift toward faster-growing online platforms, including Amazon.com and TikTok Shop, a pivot that is reshaping not just where Estée Lauder sells but how it thinks about its customers.
The numbers are moving in the right direction
Despite the pain, there are signs the medicine is working. Estée Lauder raised its profit outlook for the remainder of the fiscal year, guiding for adjusted earnings per share in the range of $2.35 to $2.45, above analyst estimates and a notable step up from the $2.05 to $2.25 range it had guided for in February. Organic net sales growth is expected to come in at 3 per cent, the company said, at the high end of the range it set out in February.
The share price tells a mixed story. After De La Faverie took charge, the stock surged nearly 60 per cent, buoyed by investor optimism that a longtime company insider could finally arrest the decline. But 2026 has been rougher: the shares have fallen 27 per cent this year, weighed down by disappointing February results and the overhang of unresolved merger talks with Spanish beauty giant Puig Brands SA. The company gave no additional details about those discussions on Friday, leaving the market to guess.
Silence on Puig
The proposed tie-up with Puig remains the most consequential unknown hanging over Estée Lauder. A deal with the Barcelona-based group, which owns brands including Carolina Herrera and Rabanne, would reshape the global luxury beauty landscape. But with nothing new to say and a turnaround still very much in progress, De La Faverie is asking investors to trust the process.
Three years of sales declines, 10,000 job cuts, and a merger that may or may not happen. At Estée Lauder, the overhaul has barely started.
