Brands
A coat of caution as Berger Paints sees profits lose a little gloss
MUMBAI: Even the brightest colours can look dull under harsh light. Berger Paints India Limited closed the December quarter with steady revenues but softer profitability, as modest growth failed to offset margin pressure. For the quarter ended December 31, 2025, revenue from operations edged up just 0.3 per cent year-on-year to Rs 2,984.0 crore, compared with Rs 2,975.1 crore in the same period last year. Including other income of Rs 30.5 crore, total income stood at Rs 3,014.5 crore.
Costs, however, refused to stay in the background. Total expenses rose to Rs 2,627.1 crore, driven by higher employee costs of Rs 227.6 crore and other expenses of Rs 536.0 crore, even as raw material consumption eased to Rs 1,369.7 crore.
As a result, profit before tax slipped to Rs 352.2 crore, down from Rs 394.4 crore a year earlier. After a tax outgo of Rs 80.1 crore, net profit declined 8.3 per cent year-on-year to Rs 271.3 crore, compared with Rs 296.0 crore in the December 2024 quarter.
Operating performance mirrored the muted tone. EBITDA (excluding other income) stood at Rs 471.0 crore, marginally lower than Rs 471.7 crore a year ago, signalling limited operating leverage amid subdued demand.
The softer trend extended to the longer period. For the nine months ended December 2025, Berger Paints reported revenue from operations of Rs 9,012.2 crore, up 1.9 per cent year-on-year. However, net profit fell 13.8 per cent to Rs 792.8 crore, compared with Rs 919.9 crore in the corresponding period last year, reflecting sustained pressure on margins.
Earnings per share for the December quarter came in at Rs 2.33, down from Rs 2.53 a year ago, while nine-month EPS stood at Rs 6.78.
The numbers suggest a business still selling steadily, but not quite repainting the growth story with bold strokes. For Berger Paints, the December quarter was less about dazzling finishes and more about holding ground while waiting for demand and margins to brighten again.
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.
