MAM
Emami reports consolidated net sales at Rs 807 cr
Mumbai: In a recently organised board of directors meeting, Emami reported consolidated net sales of Rs 807 crore in Q2 FY23, which ended on 30 September 2022, which grew by four per cent and posted a three-year CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of eight per cent.
Due to continued inflation, rural slowdowns, and liquidity pressure, the domestic FMCG industry remained soft during the quarter, and demand sentiment remained muted.
Net sales increased by eight per cent during the quarter, excluding the pain management and healthcare ranges, which saw corrections due to lower consumption of covid contextual products and the new subsidiary, Helios Lifestyle.
Modern trade and e-commerce both performed exceptionally well, increasing by 28 per cent and 55 per cent , respectively. The contribution of modern trade and e-commerce channels to domestic revenues increased to 16.5 per cent in Q2FY23.
International business grew by 17 per cent in the third quarter, owing to strong performance in most markets. The MENA and CIS regions performed well in international markets.
Gross margins contracted by 230 basis points in Q2FY23 due to inflationary pressures combined with an unfavourable portfolio mix due to exceptionally high sales of pain management products last year.
PBT fell 18 per cent year on year to 186 crore due to the previous year’s pressure on gross margins, the inclusion of new subsidiary costs, upfront marketing investments, and strategic outlays on distribution expansion in rural, digital, and modern trade channels. On a three-year CAGR basis, it grew by 17 per cent.
PAT of Rs. 180 crore fell three per cent year on year but increased 23 per cent year on year. Nonetheless, when compared to peers, the company has one of the highest gross margins at 66.6 per cent, PBT margin of 23 per cent, and a PAT margin of 22 per cent.
Helios Lifestyle (The Man Company) became a subsidiary of Emami after increasing its stake from 49.53 per cent to 50.40 per cent. The board of directors declared an interim dividend of 400 per cent or four rupees per equity share.
Emami Limited vice chairman and managing director Harsha V. Agarwal said, “We are happy that despite the challenging business & industry environment, the first half delivered net sales growth of 10 per cent. With our strong focus on cost control, distribution expansion, aggressive marketing campaigns, and driving penetration, we expect to deliver double digit growth with healthy margins in the second half. Thus, on a full year basis, we aspire to deliver double digit growth with higher Ebitda (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation) than the previous year for our core business.”
Emami vice chairman and whole-time director Mohan Goenka said, “Consumer demand remained muted across markets with high inflation affecting consumption, especially in the rural markets. As anticipated, we witnessed a correction in the Covid contextual portfolio of pain management and healthcare products, which grew significantly during the last two years. In the given context, the quarter delivered a low single-digit growth on a year-on-year basis, however, the 3-year CAGR has been impressive with a high single-digit growth of eight per cent if compared to pre-pandemic levels. Our international business also maintained its strong run, delivering a double-digit growth of 17 per cent, notwithstanding various global and geo-political uncertainties.”
Apple rarely announces minor updates with much fanfare, and iOS 26.4 is no exception. No dramatic redesigns, no flashy keynote moments. What it delivers instead is a focused set of improvements that sharpen the experience you already have. If that sounds underwhelming, spend a week with it. You will change your mind.
Apple Music Learns to Listen Better
The biggest shift in this update lives inside Apple Music. Apple has brought AI-powered playlist generation to the app, and it works on mood rather than genre. Type something like “rainy evening at home” or “running late on a Monday,” and it builds a playlist that actually fits. This is not algorithmic guesswork dressed up in new clothing. It genuinely reads the intent behind vague descriptions and responds well.
Alongside this, a new concerts feature scans your listening history and surfaces live events happening near you. It is a smart bridge between your digital music habits and real-world experiences. Apple is quietly making the case that a music app should do more than just play songs.
Shazam also gets a meaningful upgrade. It can now identify songs without an internet connection. This might sound like a minor convenience, but anyone who has tried to Shazam something at a crowded venue with patchy signal will tell you it is anything but minor. The feature works locally on-device, which also means it is faster.
CarPlay Gets Smarter Controls
CarPlay has been updated with deeper integration for intelligent voice assistants. The goal is to reduce how often drivers need to look at a screen or tap anything at all. You speak, things happen. It is a clear step toward making the driving experience safer without stripping away functionality. The integration feels natural rather than bolted on, which is a harder thing to achieve than it sounds.
The Fixes You Feel Every Day
This is where iOS 26.4 earns its keep. Keyboard responsiveness has been improved, and the difference is noticeable immediately. Typing feels more accurate and less combative. Accessibility features have been refined across the board, with better contrast options and adjusted spacing that makes the interface easier to read without forcing you into larger text sizes.
The Health app has also been updated. It now surfaces more actionable insights from your daily data rather than just displaying numbers. If your sleep patterns have shifted or your activity levels have changed, the app now contextualises that clearly instead of leaving you to interpret raw figures on your own.
These are the kinds of changes that do not photograph well for a press release. They also happen to be the ones that make your phone feel genuinely better to use.
A Few Other Additions
New emojis have been added in this update. They will find their way into your conversations faster than you expect. Family Sharing has also been updated, with more granular control over shared payments and subscriptions. If you share an Apple account with family members, this puts clearer limits on who can spend what, which has been a long-requested fix.
What This Update Actually Represents
iOS 26.4 is Apple doing what it does best when it is not trying to make headlines. Every addition here serves a clear purpose. The AI music features are genuinely useful. The CarPlay improvements address a real safety concern. The small UI fixes accumulate into a noticeably smoother daily experience.
There is no bloat. Nothing feels experimental or half-finished. That discipline is harder to maintain than it looks, especially as operating systems grow more complex with each passing year.
If you have been holding off on updating, this is the one worth installing.
