MAM
Britannia enters chocolate segment
MUMBAI: Beginning the new year on a sweet note, Britannia Industries has forayed into the chocolate segment under the Pure Magic brand.
The company has launched Pure Magic Deuce, which is categorised as a premium offering priced at Rs 30 for a six-piece chocolate wafer pack in milk chocolate and white chocolate.
Pure Magic Deuce marks Britannia’s entry into ‘bridge products’, a lucrative and fast-growing segment within foods. The product consists of a dark, crispy biscuit with a slab of chocolate on top, which together delivers an enchanting, sensorial experience to the consumer’s palette.
Pure Magic Deuce is testimony to the company’s commitment to drive innovations, deliver superior product experiences and become a total foods company. Britannia believes that there has been no real innovation in the biscuits category in well over 8 years, and Pure Magic Deuce is the very first disruptive innovation that the category has seen in a long time. The product has gone through iterative development over the last year and a half in the company’s R&D centre and Danish technology has been deployed to manufacture the product.
Britannia Industries VP marketing Ali Harris Shere says, “Indian consumers are increasingly demanding new and unique formats and snacking experiences. What’s special about Pure Magic Deuce is its format; a slab of chocolate on a dark, crispy biscuit. This is truly the first disruptive innovation in the biscuit category in a very long time. We see this as a huge opportunity to expand our footprint in the macro-snacking category in India and move closer to our ambition of becoming a total foods company.”
The product format has been created keeping in mind, youthful, indulgence seekers, who are constantly on the look-out for new food and snacking experiences. The coupling of biscuit and a slab of smooth chocolate on top sets it apart from other chocolate biscuits in the market, like chocolate sandwich biscuits, chocolate chip cookies, centre filled cookies and others.
The product is currently only available in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Coimbatore, Hyderabad and Pune.
Brands
Nestlé India posts 14.9 per cent sales growth, profit rises in FY26
FMCG major sweetens returns with dividend as strong domestic demand leads
NEW DELHI: Nestlé India has reported a strong financial performance for the year ended 31 March 2026, with sales and profits rising steadily on the back of robust domestic demand.
The company posted total income of Rs 231,949.5 million for FY26, up from Rs 202,645.5 million in the previous year, marking a growth of 14.9 per cent. Domestic sales remained the key driver, increasing 14.6 per cent to Rs 221,187.0 million, while exports contributed Rs 9,527.6 million to the overall tally.
The final quarter of the financial year added extra momentum, with total sales rising 23.4 per cent compared to the same period last year. This helped lift the company’s annual profit to Rs 35,446.0 million, up from Rs 33,145.0 million in FY25.
Shareholders are set to benefit as the board has recommended a final dividend of Rs 5.00 per equity share. This comes on top of the interim dividend of Rs 7.00 per share paid in February 2026. The record date for the final dividend has been fixed as 10 July 2026, subject to shareholder approval at the 67th Annual General Meeting scheduled for 3 July 2026. If approved, the payout will begin from 30 July 2026.
During the year, the company’s paid-up equity share capital doubled to Rs 1,928.3 million following a 1:1 bonus share issue, strengthening its capital base. The results were also supported by a Rs 1,207.8 million credit from exceptional items, including a Rs 2,023.2 million writeback from resolved income tax litigation, partially offset by restructuring costs and expenses related to new labour codes.
On the cost front, material costs rose to 44.8 per cent of sales for the full year, compared to 43.6 per cent in the previous year, reflecting ongoing input cost pressures. Despite this, the company maintained solid profitability, with EBITDA coming in at Rs 53,060.6 million.
Overall, Nestlé India’s performance underscores its ability to balance growth and margins in a challenging environment. With steady demand, disciplined cost management and consistent shareholder returns, the company appears well placed to carry its momentum into the next financial year.
