Brands
Divorced singles choose emotional safety over grand Valentine’s gestures: Rebounce
Rebounce survey shows steady love and clear intentions win hearts this Valentine’s
MUMBAI: Valentine’s Day is usually about flowers, fancy dates, and dramatic declarations of love. But for India’s divorced singles, it seems less is more. A recent survey by Rebounce, the matchmaking app for second chances, finds that 49 per cent of divorced and separated singles now prioritise consistent emotional safety over flashy displays of affection.
Rebounce founder and CEO Ravi Mittal said, “Our users have lived through loss and learned hard lessons. They are drawn to consistency, emotional reliability, and genuine intention. Grand gestures may sparkle for a day, but steady care lasts a lifetime.”
The survey polled 5,748 divorced, separated, and widowed individuals across metro and suburban India, aged 27 to 45, including single parents and those without children.
Singles looking for a second chance are no longer impressed by sudden bursts of affection. Nine in ten users said the emotional drop after a Valentine’s high is not worth it. Around 39% of men and women said regular communication, predictable behaviour, and emotional availability are the gifts they really crave, both on special days and ordinary ones.
Supriya, 36, from Delhi, said, “Being too nice on Valentine’s Day and indifferent the rest of the year reminds me of my first marriage, which ended badly. Steady effort, even if understated, is the new romantic currency.”
Nearly half of female users aged 30 to 40 said they value transparency about a partner’s intentions over extravagant gifts. Sulagna, 33, an IT professional, shared, “I’ve already tried the let’s-figure-it-out approach and it failed. Now, upfront conversations and clarity about intentions are all I ask.”
For many divorced singles, grand gestures lose meaning if they are not backed by everyday effort. Among 3,627 respondents from tier 1 and 2 cities, six in eight said lavish gifts mean little if emotional neglect is the norm the rest of the year. Jayadweep, 39, a single dad, said, “Small daily efforts, like asking how I am or remembering little things like my medicine, matter far more than expensive gifts on Valentine’s Day.”
For singles giving love a second chance, it seems steady care, honesty, and emotional reliability are the ultimate acts of romance, no roses or fireworks required.
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.
