Brands
Asian Paints taps grandmasters Anand, Gukesh for new Apex Protek push
INDIA: Asian Paints has rolled out a new campaign for Apex Ultima Protek, enlisting chess grandmasters Viswanathan Anand and Gukesh Dommaraju to spotlight what it bills as the category’s first graphene-powered exterior paint. The film casts the duo in a light-hearted strategic duel, using their banter to underline the product’s promise of “grandmaster-level” defence against harsh weather.
Graphene, one of the strongest materials known to science, reinforces the paint’s lamination system and is designed to boost resistance to rain, heat, humidity and dust. The product carries a 12-year performance warranty and is aimed squarely at homes across southern India, where monsoon deluges, sweltering summers and dust-heavy conditions push exteriors to the limit.
Asian Paints MD and chief executive Amit Syngle, said the shift to graphene marks “a major leap” in the exteriors category and brings “strategic, intelligent defence” from the chessboard to the walls of the home. Ogilvy India chief client officer B Ramanathan, said the pairing of Anand and Gukesh helps deliver the science “in a simple, engaging manner”.
The campaign blends technology, cultural cues and Asian Paints’ long-running focus on weather-proofing to reinforce its grip on the southern market.
Brands
Reliance Retail FY26 revenue rises 11.8 Per Cent to Rs 3.7 lakh crore
Q4 revenue up 11.1 Per Cent, hyperlocal orders surge 4x, PAT steady
MUMBAI: Reliance Retail isn’t just ringing up sales, it’s ringing doorbells faster than ever. Reliance Retail Ventures Limited (RRVL) reported a steady FY26 performance, with growth powered by store expansion, a sharp surge in hyperlocal commerce, and consistent traction across grocery, fashion and jewellery. For the full year, revenue rose 11.8 per cent year-on-year to Rs 3,70,026 crore. In the January–March quarter, revenue from operations climbed 11.1 per cent to Rs 87,344 crore, up from Rs 78,622 crore a year earlier.
Operating performance remained stable, with Q4 EBITDA inching up 3.1 per cent YoY to Rs 6,921 crore from Rs 6,711 crore. However, quarterly profit after tax held steady at Rs 3,563 crore. For the full fiscal, PAT grew 11.7 per cent to Rs 13,842 crore.
Expansion remained a key lever. RRVL added 1,564 new stores during FY26, while simultaneously scaling its digital and hyperlocal commerce play. The latter emerged as a standout, with daily orders surging more than fourfold year-on-year in Q4, underlining a clear shift towards faster, localised fulfilment.
In grocery, large-format stores maintained momentum, aided by festive demand and the expansion of Smart Bazaar, which crossed 1,000 stores. Promotional campaigns such as ‘Full Paisa Vasool’ delivered record results, with sales rising 26 per cent YoY.
Digital commerce also picked up pace. JioMart added 5.8 million new users in Q4, nearly doubling its registered base year-on-year. Hyperlocal orders grew 29 per cent sequentially and over 300 per cent annually during the quarter.
Fashion and lifestyle saw steady traction. Ajio recorded a 23 per cent YoY rise in average bill value, while fast-fashion platform Shein crossed 11 million app installs, scaling rapidly with expanding product lines.
The jewellery business added further shine, with average bill value jumping 53 per cent YoY, largely driven by rising gold prices and sustained consumer demand.
Commenting on the shift, RRVL executive director Isha Ambani said hyperlocal commerce has become a structural growth driver, with orders rising more than fourfold over the year.
Looking ahead to FY27, the company is betting on technology to deepen engagement. The focus, Ambani noted, will be on AI-led merchandising, sharper pricing strategies and disciplined execution turning scale into sustained customer value.
In short, the carts are fuller, the clicks are quicker, and the next phase looks less about reach and more about precision.
