Brands
BlaBlaCar extends service to Brazil
MUMBAI: BlaBlaCar has expanded its service in Brazil. It is the company’s first market in South America following the launch in Mexico earlier this year.
With BlaBlaCar’s Brazilian team, based in Sao Paulo, Brazilians will have access to affordable, city-to-city, social travel options that optimize the capacity of the country’s 50 cars.
The local team is currently working on marketing and communication to help build the service’s Brazilian community of drivers and passengers looking to share the costs of long-distance travel.
BlaBlaCar COO and co-founder Nicolas Brusson said, “We’re thrilled to be launching BlaBlaCar in Brazil today and by the prospect of making city-to-city ridesharing second nature for Brazil’s 205 million inhabitants, many of whom are in need of affordable transport. BlaBlaCar is well-versed in launching and rapidly building communities in new markets, and we look forward to bringing this knowledge to Brazil with the help of a stellar local team.”
BlaBlaCar founder and CEO Frederic Mazzella added, “Today’s launch in Brazil, our second country in Latin America after Mexico, brings us one step closer to our goal of bringing a cost-effective transport alternative to all those that need it worldwide. Ridesharing is seeing phenomenal adoption on a global scale and is not only fundamentally changing the way we use our cars but is also impacting the way we relate to one another.”
“BlaBlaCar has a powerful track record of bringing ridesharing to new markets around the world, as well as pioneering features designed for improved safety, convenience and trust. We are excited to be offering Brazilians up and down the country the chance to make their long-distance journeys more enjoyable and cost-effective by sharing,” said BlaBlaCar Brazil country manager Ricardo Leite.
Brands
Reliance Retail acquires Priyanka Chopra Jonas’s haircare brand Anomaly
India’s biggest retailer bets on clean, vegan haircare as it muscles into the country’s fast-growing beauty market
MUMBAI: Reliance Retail has acquired Anomaly, the global haircare brand founded by actor and entrepreneur Priyanka Chopra Jonas, in a move that hands India’s largest retailer full ownership of one of the more internationally recognised homegrown beauty labels. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The deal covers Anomaly’s trademarks, brand assets and digital properties, giving Reliance Retail complete ownership of the brand’s intellectual property and digital ecosystem. Chopra Jonas, who launched Anomaly in 2021, will stay on as creative director, overseeing innovation, product development and brand vision.
Built on a clean, vegan and high-performance positioning at accessible price points, Anomaly has established an international presence across multiple global markets since its launch. Reliance Retail now plans to scale the brand aggressively through its expansive offline retail network and omnichannel platforms, including Tira, its beauty retail arm. India will be a priority market, with a focus on developing products tailored to Indian hair and scalp needs. The company also has its eye on North America, the United Kingdom and the Middle East.
Isha Ambani, who oversees Reliance Retail’s consumer businesses, was forthright about the strategic logic. “Bringing Anomaly into our portfolio marks a strategic step in expanding our basket of new-age, high-growth beauty brands,” she said. “Anomaly’s strong global positioning, clean formulation philosophy, and accessible pricing make it a compelling addition to our ecosystem.” She added that Reliance saw “immense potential in collaborating with Priyanka to scale the brand in India by leveraging our omnichannel capabilities and deep consumer insights, while continuing to grow its international presence.”
Chopra Jonas framed the acquisition as a milestone rather than an exit. “This is a defining moment for Anomaly,” she said. “What began as a deeply personal journey has grown into a brand with real purpose and global ambition, and Reliance Retail’s acquisition marks an exciting new chapter.” She added that Reliance’s “scale, retail expertise, and commitment to innovation will allow us to bring Anomaly to far more consumers in India and around the world.”
The acquisition slots neatly into Reliance Retail’s broader push into premium and digital-first consumer brands across fashion, beauty and personal care. In a beauty market growing at pace and increasingly receptive to clean, ingredient-conscious formulations, Anomaly gives Reliance a brand with genuine international credibility and a founder whose global profile does the marketing almost by itself. For Chopra Jonas, it means her haircare label gets the retail muscle of India’s most powerful consumer conglomerate behind it. Not a bad chapter two.
