Brands
Marico Q3 results: Rs 447 crore net profit, 27 per cent revenue surge
MUMBAI: Marico Limited delivered a bravura performance in the third quarter of 2026, reporting a 27 per cent year-on-year jump in consolidated revenue to Rs 3,537 crore. The FMCG giant saw its India business grow by 27 per cent, bolstered by price hikes across core portfolios to offset stubborn inflation in raw materials. International markets kept pace with 21 per cent constant currency growth, led by a sharp 29 per cent rise in Bangladesh.
The quarter was marked by a major strategic move: on 26 January, Marico announced a definitive agreement to invest in Zea Maize, the parent company of premium gourmet snacking brand 4700BC. This follows the company’s aggressive diversification strategy, aiming to grow its food segment to eight times its 2020 revenue by 2027.
The domestic business, which pulled in Rs 2,681 crore, was buoyed by price hikes and a shift toward e-commerce and “quick commerce”. While higher input costs squeezed year-on-year gross margins, a recent dip in copra prices offered some relief. Value-added hair oils (vaho) were particularly slick, growing by 29 per cent.
While gross margins remained under year-on-year pressure due to high input costs, the company reported a 12 per cent rise in profit after tax to Rs 447 crore. Marico managing director and chief executive Saugata Gupta, noted that the firm remains “on track” to deliver over 25 per cent revenue growth for the full year as input pressures begin to subside.
Brands
Faber-Castell India appoints Sunaina Haldar as director – marketing
With stints at Tata, SleepyCat and ADF Foods under her belt, Haldar is primed to redraw Faber-Castell’s brand story
MUMBAI: Faber-Castell India has poached Sunaina Haldar from ADF Foods, appointing her director – marketing as the German stationery brand looks to muscle up in a category that is rapidly reinventing itself around creativity and self-expression.
Haldar hit the ground running. “My first couple of weeks have been incredibly energising, understanding consumers, visiting markets, engaging with retailers and immersing myself into the world of Faber-Castell Group,” she said.
She arrives with considerable firepower. At ADF Foods, Haldar ran marketing across India and international markets for a portfolio spanning Ashoka, Aeroplane, Camel and ADF Soul. Before that, she was vice-president – marketing at direct-to-consumer mattress brand SleepyCat, where she helmed brand, content and performance marketing. Her résumé also includes a stint leading marketing, new product development and CRM for Tata SmartFoodz at Tata Consumer Products, no small proving ground.
Between corporate roles, Haldar also operated as a fractional CMO for early-stage startups, building marketing strategy and operational structures from scratch, a signal that she knows how to move fast with limited resources.
With 18 years straddling FMCG, D2C and the startup world, Haldar now takes the reins at a brand that has long owned the classroom but is clearly hungry for the living room. In a stationery market where the pencil has become a lifestyle statement, Faber-Castell has picked someone who knows exactly how to sell that story.
