MAM
Goafest 2011 to kick off on 5 April
The Media Abby will be held on 8 April, followed by the Creative Abby on 9 April. The speaker‘s list at the fest includes Talenthouse creative director and founder Amos Pizzey, Engine CEO Peter Scott, Lowe & Partners Worldwide global CEO Michael Wall, TBWA Worldwide chief marketing officer Laurie Coots and LiquidThread president and MD Brian J Terkelsen.  The creative and media Abby‘s will be managed by the nine-member Awards Governing Council (AGC) under the chairmanship of Shashi Sinha. Other members of the AGC include Arvind Sharma, Sundar Swamy, Sunil Lulla, Ajay Chandwani, Ajay Kakkar, Suman Srivastaa, AAAI president Nagesh Alai and ACB president Bhaskar Das. Says Goafest 2011 chairperson Lynn de Souza, “Goafest 2011 will provide a unique learning environment for creative, marketing and media practioners and the opportunity to recognize and award excellent work from all over the country. We hope to take this event onto newer heights and bring it on par with other international events.” The Festival of Media, Montreux, will specially host two of its categories – ‘best communication strategy‘ and ‘best contribution to a campaign by a media owner‘ at the Goafest at specially reduced entry fees. The winners and runners-up of these categories will be fast-tracked into to the Festival of Media finals. Shashi Sinha adds, “We will be coming up with the complete list of the categories in a few days. The Goafest is all about creativity and networking.” The five-day festival will kick off with a unique event in association with Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) specially featuring 100 young creative people. They will be required to conceive and execute installation art works based on the theme ‘Creativity with a conscience‘. The final pieces will be displayed in the Ad Village for the duration of the festival. To be held on 7 April, the topic for the Industry Advertising Conclave this year is ‘Preparing the profession for the new decade‘ and will be led by Sundar Swamy. |
Brands
Kwality Wall’s reports standalone losses following strategic HUL demerger
Ice cream major faces Rs 64 crore Ebitda loss amid commodity inflation and muted Q3 sales
MUMBAI: Kwality Wall’s (India) Limited (KWIL) has released its first set of financial results as a standalone entity, revealing a challenging start to its independent journey. Following its successful demerger from Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) on 1st December 2025 and its subsequent listing on 16th February 2026, the company is navigating a transition period marked by structural changes and high input costs.
For the quarter ended 31st December 2025, the company reported revenue of Rs 222 crores. Despite the revenue base, the bottom line was impacted by several factors, resulting in an Ebitda loss of Rs 64.2 crores. When calculated on a Pre-IND AS 116 basis, the Ebitda loss stood at Rs 83.8 crores.
Organic Sales Growth (OSG) declined by 6.5 per cent year-on-year during the quarter. Volume growth, however, saw a marginal increase of 1.2 per cent. The company reported a gross margin of 41.5 per cent. Additionally, exceptional expenses amounting to Rs 94 crores were recorded, primarily linked to non-recurring costs during the transition phase.
Performance across portfolios and channels was mixed. Within the impulse portfolio, brands such as Magnum and Cornetto recorded mid-single digit volume growth, indicating steady demand in on-the-go consumption. However, the in-home portfolio, which includes take-home packs, experienced muted consumption. The company is planning a relaunch of this category with improved offerings ahead of the 2026 season.
Quick commerce (Q-Com) continued to emerge as a strong growth driver, delivering robust double-digit growth during the quarter. Meanwhile, the company also expanded its physical distribution network by increasing the number of company-owned cabinets across markets.
Margin pressure during the quarter was driven by a combination of one-off factors and broader cost inflation. Gross margins were impacted by around 600 basis points due to trade investments made for stock liquidation. Additionally, cocoa price inflation contributed to another 400 basis points of pressure on margins.
Deputy managing director Chitrank Goel attributed the muted performance partly to prolonged monsoons and transitional challenges linked to the GST framework. Operating expenses also increased as the company invested in establishing its standalone supply chain, operational systems and corporate infrastructure following the demerger.
Looking ahead, the management remains focused on a volume-driven growth strategy. To restore profitability, the company has initiated a cost productivity programme aimed at reducing non-consumer-facing costs. It is also working on building regional manufacturing networks to optimise logistics expenses and improve operational efficiency.
The commodity outlook for the near term remains mixed. Dairy prices are expected to remain firm due to tight supply conditions and rising fodder costs. Sugar prices may also move higher following increases in the Minimum Selling Price (MSP). While cocoa prices have moderated recently, currency depreciation has offset some of the potential cost relief for the company.
