Brands
Havells keeps the power on with steady Q3 growth despite cost headwinds
MUMBAI: Margins may flicker, but the lights stayed on at Havells India Limited in the December quarter. The consumer electrical major reported standalone revenue of Rs 5,573.44 crore in Q3 FY26, up from Rs 4,882.50 crore a year earlier, signalling resilient demand across categories despite inflationary pressures and higher input costs. Total income for the quarter stood at Rs 5,616.17 crore, compared with Rs 4,946.53 crore in Q3 FY25.
Profit after tax for the quarter came in at Rs 301.36 crore, marginally lower than Rs 317.48 crore in the previous quarter but higher than Rs 282.81 crore reported a year ago. For the nine months ended December 31, 2025, Havells posted a net profit of Rs 971.18 crore, broadly flat compared with Rs 966.58 crore in the corresponding period last year, underlining operating stability in a volatile environment.
On the cost side, raw material and component consumption rose to Rs 3,096.37 crore in Q3 FY26, reflecting higher volumes and commodity prices. Advertising and sales promotion spend stood at Rs 154.01 crore, while employee benefits expense increased to Rs 489.54 crore, mirroring continued investment in brand visibility and talent. Total expenses for the quarter were Rs 5,166.28 crore.
Operating performance translated into earnings per share of Rs 4.80 for the quarter, compared with Rs 4.51 in Q3 FY25. For the nine-month period, basic EPS stood at Rs 15.49, largely in line with last year’s Rs 15.42.
For the nine months ended December 2025, Havells reported revenue from operations of Rs 15,777.88 crore, up from Rs 15,213.60 crore a year earlier, while profit before tax came in at Rs 1,293.21 crore after accounting for an exceptional item of Rs 45.03 crore.
The numbers point to a company navigating cost pressures without losing grip on demand. While margins remain under watch, Havells’ Q3 performance suggests steady consumer pull and disciplined execution, keeping the brand firmly switched on as it heads into the final quarter of the financial year.
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.
