Brands
Big FM storms into real estate with Rs 1,200 crore flagship bet
Radio network targets Rs 3,500–4,000 crore in three years as it pivots from airwaves to acres
Lucknow: Big FM is tuning into a new frequency. The radio network owned by Reliance Broadcast Network Limited has stormed into real estate, unveiling Big FM Realty with a swaggering Rs 3,500–4,000 crore revenue target over the next three years.
The opening gambit is bold. The company has snapped up 80 acres on the Lucknow–Bahraich Road in Uttar Pradesh for a flagship mixed-use township expected to rake in Rs 1,200 crore.
The bet rests on asphalt and ambition. The four-laning of NH-927 is set to slash travel time between Lucknow and Bahraich from nearly two hours to about one, tightening links to the Nepal border and fuelling commercial momentum. Bahraich, long overlooked, is now pitched as an emerging growth corridor with rising appetite for modern homes and retail space.
A spokesperson for Big FM Realty called the move “a defining chapter in our journey of growth and transformation”.
“The launch of Big FM Realty marks a defining chapter in our journey of growth and transformation. Having built a strong national identity rooted in trust, authenticity and scale through our media heritage, we are now extending that same commitment to excellence into real estate. We aim to deliver thoughtfully designed, high-quality developments that blend innovation with practicality, ensuring lasting financial and lifestyle benefits for our customers. Bahraich, with its promising growth developments and strategic location, represents an exciting high-potential opportunity, and this project serves as the strong foundation for our wider vision in shaping modern urban living across India.”
The masterplan promises more than plots. The township will weave together premium plotted development, group housing, commercial and retail spaces, pitched as an integrated lifestyle destination with green landscapes, smart infrastructure and sustainable planning aimed at middle-class and upwardly mobile buyers.
Big FM is no small player. The network spans 58 stations across 23 states, reaching over 34 crore listeners in more than 1,900 towns and 1.2 lakh villages. Nearly two decades of brand-building in audio, it hopes, will translate into trust on the ground.
From commanding the airwaves to carving up land banks, Big FM is wagering that credibility can be converted into concrete. The microphone is down; the earthmovers are warming up.
Brands
Lululemon picks former Nike executive to be its next chief
Heidi O’Neill, who helped grow Nike into a $45 billion giant, will take the top job in September
CANADA: Lululemon has found its next chief executive, and she comes with serious credentials. The athleisure giant named Heidi O’Neill as its new CEO on Wednesday, ending a search that has left the company running on interim leadership since earlier this year. O’Neill will take charge on September 8, 2026, based out of Vancouver, and will join the board on the same day.
O’Neill brings more than three decades of experience across performance apparel, footwear and sport. The bulk of that time was spent at Nike, where she was a central figure in one of corporate sport’s great growth stories, helping take the company from a $9 billion business to a $45 billion global powerhouse. She oversaw product pipelines, brand strategy and consumer connections, and played a significant role in shaping how Nike spoke to athletes around the world. Earlier in her career, she worked in marketing for the Dockers brand at Levi Strauss. She also brings boardroom experience from Spotify Technology, Hyatt Hotels and Lithia and Driveway.
The board was unequivocal in its enthusiasm. “We selected Heidi because of the breadth of her experience, her demonstrated success delivering breakthrough ideas and initiatives at scale, and her ability to be a knowledgeable change and growth agent,” said Marti Morfitt, executive chair of Lululemon’s board.
O’Neill, for her part, was bullish. “Lululemon is an iconic brand with something rare: genuine guest love, a product ethos rooted in innovation, and a global platform still in the early stages of its potential,” she said. “My job will be to accelerate product breakthroughs, deepen the brand’s cultural relevance, and unlock growth in markets around the world.”
Until she arrives, Meghan Frank and André Maestrini will continue as interim co-CEOs, before returning to their previous senior leadership roles once O’Neill steps in.
Lululemon is betting that a Nike veteran who helped build one of the world’s most powerful sports brands can do something similar for an athleisure label that has genuine love from its customers but is still chasing its full global potential. O’Neill has done it before at scale. The question now is whether she can do it again.
