Brands
Theme park twists as Imagicaa rides back to profit in Q3
MUMBAI: The rollercoaster finally slowed and steadied. Imagicaaworld Entertainment Limited swung back into the black in the December quarter, delivering a modest profit after a bruising September, even as higher costs and softer nine-month numbers kept the ride far from smooth.
For the quarter ended December 31, 2025, the company reported revenue from operations of Rs 91.25 crore, more than doubling sequentially from Rs 41.06 crore in Q2, and broadly flat compared with Rs 91.86 crore in the year-ago quarter. Including other income of Rs 4.56 crore, total income stood at Rs 95.80 crore.
The sharper top-line recovery translated into a profit after tax of Rs 1.54 crore, reversing a loss of Rs 30.24 crore in the preceding quarter and improving on the Rs 3.22 crore profit reported a year earlier. The turnaround was driven largely by stronger park operations and improved cost absorption during the festive-heavy quarter.
That said, expenses continued to loom large. Total costs for the quarter climbed to Rs 93.80 crore, led by other expenses of Rs 32.58 crore, depreciation and amortisation of Rs 20.50 crore, and finance costs of Rs 5.40 crore, underscoring the capital-intensive nature of the theme park business.
On a nine-month basis, the picture remained more restrained. Revenue from operations fell to Rs 269.60 crore, compared with Rs 315.82 crore in the corresponding period last year. Net profit for the nine months stood at Rs 14.52 crore, sharply lower than Rs 62.75 crore a year earlier, reflecting uneven footfalls, elevated fixed costs and the drag from financing and depreciation.
Exceptional items during the quarter were marginal, with a net gain of Rs 0.40 crore, largely linked to fair-value adjustments, offering limited relief to the bottom line.
For the full year ended March 2025, Imagicaa had reported revenue of Rs 410.00 crore and a profit of Rs 77.79 crore, setting a high base that the current year has struggled to match.
As the company heads into the final quarter, the message is clear: the crowds are returning, but the margins are still queuing. The December rebound offers breathing space, yet sustained profitability will depend on keeping costs in check while ensuring the turnstiles keep spinning.
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.
