Brands
Hero marks 25 years of global market dominance with stellar sales growth
NEW DELHI: The Delhi-based titan dispatched 557,871 units in January, a 26 per cent leap over the previous year, proving there is plenty of life in the old dog. While the bread-and-butter motorcycle portfolio, led by the Xtreme and Glamour X, remains the firm’s backbone, it was the scooter segment that provided the real nitro boost. Demand for the Xoom and Destini models helped the category grow by a staggering 45.5 per cent year-on-year.
The company’s electric venture, Vida, is also finding its feet. Retail volumes for the brand rose 21 per cent month-on-month, with 13,000 registrations in January. This growth was bolstered by the Vida VX2 and a trophy cabinet that now includes a CES 2026 innovation award for the Dirt.e K3’s adaptive design. Beyond the subcontinent, global business grew by 24 per cent, as international buyers warmed to Hero’s more premium offerings, totaling 37,663 export units for the month.
Hero’s month was not merely about the balance sheet. The Hero MotoSports Team Rally secured a double top-ten finish at the 48th Dakar Rally, a historic milestone for the firm. Meanwhile, the company burnished its corporate credentials, being named an ESG leader by NSE Sustainability Ratings & Analytics Limited.
With domestic sales hitting 520,208 units and year-to-date volumes crossing the 5.3 million mark, Hero appears to be navigating the shift from petrol-head pioneer to sustainable heavyweight with practiced ease.
Brands
Reliance Retail FY26 revenue rises 11.8 Per Cent to Rs 3.7 lakh crore
Q4 revenue up 11.1 Per Cent, hyperlocal orders surge 4x, PAT steady
MUMBAI: Reliance Retail isn’t just ringing up sales, it’s ringing doorbells faster than ever. Reliance Retail Ventures Limited (RRVL) reported a steady FY26 performance, with growth powered by store expansion, a sharp surge in hyperlocal commerce, and consistent traction across grocery, fashion and jewellery. For the full year, revenue rose 11.8 per cent year-on-year to Rs 3,70,026 crore. In the January–March quarter, revenue from operations climbed 11.1 per cent to Rs 87,344 crore, up from Rs 78,622 crore a year earlier.
Operating performance remained stable, with Q4 EBITDA inching up 3.1 per cent YoY to Rs 6,921 crore from Rs 6,711 crore. However, quarterly profit after tax held steady at Rs 3,563 crore. For the full fiscal, PAT grew 11.7 per cent to Rs 13,842 crore.
Expansion remained a key lever. RRVL added 1,564 new stores during FY26, while simultaneously scaling its digital and hyperlocal commerce play. The latter emerged as a standout, with daily orders surging more than fourfold year-on-year in Q4, underlining a clear shift towards faster, localised fulfilment.
In grocery, large-format stores maintained momentum, aided by festive demand and the expansion of Smart Bazaar, which crossed 1,000 stores. Promotional campaigns such as ‘Full Paisa Vasool’ delivered record results, with sales rising 26 per cent YoY.
Digital commerce also picked up pace. JioMart added 5.8 million new users in Q4, nearly doubling its registered base year-on-year. Hyperlocal orders grew 29 per cent sequentially and over 300 per cent annually during the quarter.
Fashion and lifestyle saw steady traction. Ajio recorded a 23 per cent YoY rise in average bill value, while fast-fashion platform Shein crossed 11 million app installs, scaling rapidly with expanding product lines.
The jewellery business added further shine, with average bill value jumping 53 per cent YoY, largely driven by rising gold prices and sustained consumer demand.
Commenting on the shift, RRVL executive director Isha Ambani said hyperlocal commerce has become a structural growth driver, with orders rising more than fourfold over the year.
Looking ahead to FY27, the company is betting on technology to deepen engagement. The focus, Ambani noted, will be on AI-led merchandising, sharper pricing strategies and disciplined execution turning scale into sustained customer value.
In short, the carts are fuller, the clicks are quicker, and the next phase looks less about reach and more about precision.
