Brands
Goboult expands Mustang range, eyes Rs 3,000 Crore by FY28
Three smartwatches, a TWS and a premium push set Goboult racing ahead
MUMBAI: Goboult, one of India’s fastest-growing wearables and audio brands, is stepping on the accelerator with its Mustang partnership, unveiling a new line of smartwatches and earbuds as it targets Rs 3,000 crore in revenue by FY27-28.
After closing FY25 at around Rs 800 crore, Goboult is shifting gears from discount-led growth to a sharper focus on premium, design-led products. Central to this strategy is the three-year-old partnership with Mustang, which now goes beyond audio into wearables, blending automotive inspiration with everyday tech.
The new Mustang collection features three smartwatches:Stallion, Racer, and Muscle, alongside the Mustang Sprint TWS earbuds. Each product channels Mustang DNA through design touches like piston-head switches, tyre-tread straps, and aero-inspired curves, giving tech lovers a taste of automotive performance on their wrists and in their ears.
Goboult co-founder Varun Gupta said, “We’re building towards a Rs 3,000 crore business by FY28, but this isn’t just about numbers. We’re the first Indian wearables brand to create a deep, design-led partnership with an iconic brand like Mustang. Every choice is made to bring confidence and character into everyday life.”
Currently, audio accounts for roughly 70 per cent of Goboult’s revenue, with wearables making up the rest. The company expects wearables to gain ground as mid-premium and premium products rise to 70 per cent of the portfolio by FY26, boosting profitability. Offline sales are set to double to 40 per cent, driven by Tier-2 and Tier-3 city demand.
Ford Global brand licensing manager Tyler Hill said, “Mustang is celebrated worldwide. This new line lets fans take the Mustang spirit beyond the car, turning iconic design cues into lifestyle products.”
With competition heating up in smartwatches, Goboult is betting on quality, design, and user experience rather than price wars. The Mustang collection alone is projected to grow from Rs 2 crore to Rs 12 crore in the near term.
Looking further down the track, Goboult plans a global expansion into the US, Europe, Southeast Asia, and East Asia by 2030, keeping a steady hand on premium positioning and sustainable growth.
Goboult Mustang collection highlights-
- Mustang Stallion: Piston-head switch and speedometer bezel for precision control. MRP Rs 14,999, launch Rs 3,999
- Mustang Racer: Tyre-tread crown and aero-inspired strap for comfort and grip. MRP Rs 12,999, launch Rs 2,999
- Mustang Muscle: Aero-curved display with alloy-wheel haptic crown. MRP Rs 9,999, launch soon
- Mustang Sprint TWS: Windshield-style earbuds with knurled controls. MRP Rs 5,999, launch Rs 1,499
The Mustang series signals Goboult’s intent to set the pace in India’s premium wearables market while making a global pit stop along the way.
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.
