MAM
FMCG shopping by eco-actives to reach $446 bn in 2021: Kantar Study
Mumbai: Environmentally sustainable grocery market is forecast to double over next five years, as per a new sustainability study from Kantar. FMCG/ consumer packaged goods shopping by environmentally concerned households (eco-actives) will total $446 billion in 2021, up $70 billion vs 2020, the data analytics firm estimates. It forecasts this segment will grow to $925 billion by 2026 – a CAGR of 15.7 per cent, more than five times faster than the grocery market as a whole.
Interestingly, the ‘Who Cares, Who Does’ study that interviewed almost 90,000 respondents in 26 countries, also throws light on the importance of children as critical influencers in making daily household shopping habits more environmentally responsible. Family, mostly children, were identified as the biggest influence (36 per cent of respondents) after product packaging, in shifting habits according to the global study. Almost half of households, at 49 per cent, said the Covid-19 pandemic has made sustainability even more important to them.
The percentage of ‘eco-active’ households has grown from 16 per cent in 2019 to 22 per cent in 2021, the study, in its third year, found. The Eco-active segment has grown six percentage points over the past two years, to account for 22 per cent of global households. Kantar projects this segment will grow to 40 per cent of all households over the next five years, and more than half of households by 2029.
The ‘Who Cares, Who Does’ study segmented households into three categories of eco-actives (22 per cent of households), eco-considerers (40 per cent of households) and eco-dismissers (38 per cent of households) based on their actual behaviours on sustainability
“Eco-actives are driving growth for brands that embrace sustainable strategies. As a segment the Eleco-active market will grow five times faster than the overall grocery market, so building a competitive advantage through your sustainability strategy represents a major opportunity for brands,” said Kantar’s Worldpanel division CEO Guillaume Bacuvier. “Companies that get it right will reap the rewards, those that fail to act risk turning away a growing number of shoppers. Two-thirds of all shoppers have stopped purchasing a product or service which has a negative impact on the environment at least once.”
Kantar also asked consumers to identify their major sustainability concerns and their major barriers to acting sustainably. Climate change, Water pollution and Plastic waste were the top concerns while ‘products are harder to find or more expensive’ were the top barriers to sustainable behaviour.
“For retailers, there is a much more to do. Only 44 per cent of shoppers are somewhat or very satisfied with the in-store offering. A good choice of local products and affordable options are the most important sustainability factors shoppers consider when choosing a store for their shopping. Fewer people are looking for a specific sustainable section,” Bacuvier further said.
Brands
Wipro hires 7,500 freshers, withholds FY27 hiring outlook
Profit rises to Rs 3,522 crore, Rs 15,000 crore buyback announced.
MUMBAI- Hiring may be on, but visibility is off, Wipro is adding talent even as it pauses the crystal ball. The company hired 7,500 freshers in FY26 but stopped short of offering any hiring outlook for FY27, underscoring the uncertainty gripping the IT services sector as it pivots towards an AI-led operating model.
The disclosure came alongside its fourth-quarter earnings, where management flagged volatile demand conditions and refrained from committing to future workforce expansion. Chief human resources officer Saurabh Govil noted that over 3,000 of the total hires were onboarded in the March quarter alone, signalling continued intake despite a lack of clarity on deployment pipelines.
This divergence active hiring without forward guidance reflects a broader industry pattern where talent acquisition continues even as deal conversions remain uneven and client spending cycles stretch. Wipro expects its IT services revenue for the June quarter to range between a decline of 2 per cent and flat growth sequentially in constant currency terms, reinforcing near-term caution.
Chief executive officer Srini Pallia pointed to artificial intelligence as both a disruptor and an opportunity. He said evolving client priorities are pushing the company towards outcome-driven engagements, with Wipro increasingly focusing on a services-as-software model through its AI Native Business and Platforms unit. The shift marks a structural change from traditional headcount-led growth to AI-enabled delivery frameworks.
The company has already committed over $1 billion to its AI ecosystem, with investors closely watching how these investments translate into revenue. For now, the numbers present a mixed picture. Net profit rose sequentially to Rs 3,522 crore, while revenue grew 3 per cent to Rs 24,236 crore. However, core IT services performance remained under pressure, with full-year revenue declining 0.3 per cent in dollar terms and 1.6 per cent in constant currency.
Large deal bookings offered a counterpoint, rising 45.4 per cent year-on-year to $7.8 billion, highlighting a widening gap between deal wins and actual revenue realisation. On a quarterly basis, IT services revenue slipped 1.2 per cent sequentially, signalling continued softness in execution.
Margins, however, told a more optimistic story. Operating margins expanded to 17.3 per cent in the fourth quarter, up from 14.8 per cent in the previous quarter, reflecting improved cost discipline. That said, the company cautioned that upcoming wage hikes and the ramp-up of large deals could exert pressure going forward.
Attrition stood at 13.8 per cent in the March quarter, indicating stabilisation after periods of elevated churn. Alongside its earnings, Wipro also announced a Rs 15,000 crore share buyback, reinforcing its focus on shareholder returns, with a payout ratio of 88 per cent over the past three years.
Taken together, the numbers capture a company in transition investing in AI, maintaining hiring momentum, but navigating a demand environment where growth is uneven and visibility remains limited.
