MAM
Impresario elevates Divya Aggarwal to chief growth officer
Mumbai: Impresario Entertainment and Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. (Impresario) a renowned name in India’s food services market, is pleased to appoint Divya Aggarwal as its chief growth officer. In the new role, Aggarwal will lead the overall Marketing & Communications and growth efforts for all Impresario’s brands. By harnessing technology and data driven marketing, Aggarwal is instrumental in ensuring Impresario’s house of brands including SOCIAL, antiSOCIAL, Smoke House Deli, BOSS Burger, Lucknowee, Slink & Bardot and Prithvi Café, scale new heights and bolster operations pan-India.
Aggarwal’s foundational years were spent at IMRB International, later moving on to Nestlé to manage iconic brands like Nescafé, Maggi, and Cerelac. She has also worked with renowned global brands like Disney Star, Jubilant FoodWorks Ltd. where she spearheaded the launch of Popeyes in the Indian market, and X (erstwhile Twitter). She has also ventured into entrepreneurship with The Green Snack Co. and Divya has previously worked with Impresario in 2019 as the head of marketing.
Speaking about her new role, Aggarwal said, “I feel grateful and privileged to lead the role of Chief Growth Officer for Impresario. Some of the brightest minds of India’s food services market work here and are driven towards offering memorable experiences to people. As our audience’s preferences evolve, there’s increased appetite for novel experiences within the sector which requires greater investments and innovation from the ecosystem. I’m excited to be at the confluence of this growth curve and I look forward to learning and shaping the trajectory of India’s culinary, co-working, community, and cultural landscape.”
Impresario Entertainment & Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. managing director Riyaaz Amlani expressed, “Divya has been a leader, a guide, and a force to reckon with in the F&B and hospitality industry. She has been an asset to the Impresario team, helping to grow the brand in new businesses and regions. We are excited to be working with her and see where this leads as we scale new heights for Impresario.”
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.
