Brands
EaseMyTrip named among India’s most trusted brands for 2026–27
Travel platform earns recognition for service and reliability
NEW DELHI: EaseMyTrip has been recognised among the Most Trusted Brands of India 2026–2027, underlining the strong confidence travellers place in the online travel platform and its customer focused approach.
The recognition was announced at the sixth edition of the platform organised by Team Marksmen Network, with Business Standard as the media partner and India Today as the televised partner. The initiative honours companies that have built lasting credibility through consistent service, innovation and ethical business practices.
Brands included in the list are selected through a structured evaluation conducted by Coherent Market Insights. The process combines large scale primary research with secondary data analysis and examines parameters such as authenticity, transparency, customer experience, governance practices and consistency of service.
Over the years, EaseMyTrip has built a strong reputation in the travel sector, helped by its customer first strategy and features such as its widely recognised zero convenience fee model. The platform focuses on simplifying travel planning while offering competitive pricing and reliable services for travellers in India and overseas markets.
EaseMyTrip chief executive officer and co-founder Rikant Pittie, said the recognition reflects the trust that users have placed in the platform. “Trust has always been central to EaseMyTrip’s journey. Being recognised among India’s most trusted brands reflects the confidence travellers place in our platform. We remain committed to improving travel experiences through innovation and dependable service,” he said.
The company continues to expand its technology driven ecosystem while strengthening its presence in global markets. The latest recognition highlights its growing role as a preferred travel partner for users seeking convenient and trustworthy travel experiences.
Brands
Estée Lauder to shed 10,000 jobs as new boss bets on digital shift
The cosmetics giant raises its profit outlook but stays silent on a possible merger with Spain’s Puig, as job cuts deepen and a three-year sales slump weighs on the turnaround
NEW YORK: Stéphane de La Faverie is not done cutting. Estée Lauder announced on Friday that it plans to eliminate as many as 3,000 additional jobs, taking its total redundancy programme to as many as 10,000 roles, up from a previous target of 7,000 announced a year ago. The company, which owns La Mer, The Ordinary, Tom Ford, and Aveda, employs roughly 57,000 people worldwide. The mathematics of what is now being contemplated is stark.
The fresh round of cuts is expected to generate a further $200 million in savings, bringing the total annual savings from the programme to as much as $1.2 billion before taxes. That money, De La Faverie has made clear, will be ploughed back into the turnaround.
A CEO in a hurry
De La Faverie, who took the helm in January 2025, inherited a company that had endured three consecutive years of annual sales declines. His response has been to move fast and cut deep. A significant portion of the latest redundancies reflects his push to reduce headcount at US department stores, long a cornerstone of Estée Lauder’s distribution model but now a channel in structural decline. In their place, he is accelerating the shift toward faster-growing online platforms, including Amazon.com and TikTok Shop, a pivot that is reshaping not just where Estée Lauder sells but how it thinks about its customers.
The numbers are moving in the right direction
Despite the pain, there are signs the medicine is working. Estée Lauder raised its profit outlook for the remainder of the fiscal year, guiding for adjusted earnings per share in the range of $2.35 to $2.45, above analyst estimates and a notable step up from the $2.05 to $2.25 range it had guided for in February. Organic net sales growth is expected to come in at 3 per cent, the company said, at the high end of the range it set out in February.
The share price tells a mixed story. After De La Faverie took charge, the stock surged nearly 60 per cent, buoyed by investor optimism that a longtime company insider could finally arrest the decline. But 2026 has been rougher: the shares have fallen 27 per cent this year, weighed down by disappointing February results and the overhang of unresolved merger talks with Spanish beauty giant Puig Brands SA. The company gave no additional details about those discussions on Friday, leaving the market to guess.
Silence on Puig
The proposed tie-up with Puig remains the most consequential unknown hanging over Estée Lauder. A deal with the Barcelona-based group, which owns brands including Carolina Herrera and Rabanne, would reshape the global luxury beauty landscape. But with nothing new to say and a turnaround still very much in progress, De La Faverie is asking investors to trust the process.
Three years of sales declines, 10,000 job cuts, and a merger that may or may not happen. At Estée Lauder, the overhaul has barely started.
