Brands
Honasa Consumer Elevates Meetu Mulchandani as VP- head of Brand Factory
MUMBAI: Honasa Consumer Ltd, home to renowned brands like Mamaearth, The Derma Co., Aqualogica, Bblunt, and Dr Sheth’s, today announced the elevation of Meetu Mulchandani as vice-president & head of Brand Factory in the leadership team. Hitherto she was associate vice-president, head of Brand Factory – new brands and business.
Brand Factory, Honasa’s dedicated division for launching and nurturing emerging brands, has been a pivotal driver of the organisation’s growth.
Meetu has been instrumental in shaping the division, spearheading the success of brands like Aqualogica, The Derma Co, Dr Sheth’s, and Staze.
In her expanded role, Meetu will lead the end-to-end journey of crafting new brands within Honasa’s house of brands portfolio. This will encompass ideation, in-depth market research, consumer insights, concept testing, and shaping business and marketing strategy, with a strong emphasis on innovation, and market dominance through strategic growth initiatives.
Said Honasa Consumer CEO & co-founder Varun Alagh: “Brand Factory is central to Honasa’s vision of building India’s largest beauty and personal care (BPC) house of brands. By identifying market gaps and understanding evolving consumer needs, we’ve consistently launched and scaled successful brands. Meetu has been instrumental in this journey, driving innovation and growth for brands like Aqualogica and Dr Sheth’s, transforming them into Rs 100 crore success stories. I am confident she’ll continue to excel in this expanded role and bring her unique perspective, creativity and strategic mindset to lead the Brand Factory team.”
“I am both honored and excited to step into this new role at a time when Honasa Consumer is poised for even greater innovation and growth. It’s been incredibly fulfilling to be part of this dynamic team, and I’m eager to continue building impactful brands that resonate with our customers. This is just the beginning, and I look forward to driving forward our vision of creating brands that not only disrupt the market but also make a meaningful difference in people’s lives,” added Meetu.
She brings nearly two decades of experience in the beauty and personal care industry. She has been with Honasa for nearly four years now and has been at the helm of building young brands. Her career spans impactful roles at Nyumi, The Mom’s Co, Healthkart, Alteus Biogenics, and Mankind Pharma.
Brands
Uber launches hotel bookings feature in partnership with Expedia
From hotel bookings to room service at your door, the ride-hailing giant is making its boldest push yet into everyday life
CALIFORNIA: Uber is done being just a taxi app. At its annual GO-GET product event, the world’s leading mobility and delivery platform unveiled a sweeping set of new features designed to plant itself at the centre of how people travel, eat and shop, hotel bookings included.
The headline move is a partnership with Expedia Group that lets Uber users in the United States book hotels directly within the Uber app, with access to a catalogue that will eventually grow to more than 700,000 properties worldwide. Uber One members get 10 per cent back in Uber One credits on all hotel bookings and savings of at least 20 per cent on a rolling list of more than 10,000 hotels globally. Vacation rentals from Vrbo, Expedia Group’s home-rental brand, will be added later this year. The partnership is expected to expand beyond the United States. From June, Uber rides will also be integrated directly into the Expedia app, with push notifications sent to travellers ahead of hotel check-in to book discounted Uber rides for the duration of their stay.
Dara Khosrowshahi, chief executive of Uber, framed the expansion in terms of the modern condition. “Uber is becoming an app for everything, helping people go, get, and now travel all in one place,” he said. “We’re all living through a moment of real cognitive overload: too many apps, too many decisions, too much noise. At the end of the day, our job is to help people reclaim their time, spending less of it managing the logistics of life and more of it actually living.”
Ariane Gorin, chief executive of Expedia Group, struck a similarly ambitious note. “Travel should feel effortless, and this partnership gets us one step closer to offering a seamless traveller experience,” she said. “By connecting our two-sided marketplace with Uber, we’re bringing Uber rides directly into the Expedia app and Expedia Group’s lodging inventory into the Uber app through our Rapid API technology. Together, we’re helping travellers spend less time planning and more time enjoying the journey.”
Beyond hotels, the product announcements come thick and fast. Travel Mode, available within both the Uber and Uber Eats apps, offers curated recommendations on local favourites, tourist destinations, OpenTable restaurant reservations and on-demand delivery to hotel rooms. Uber One International means the membership programme now works globally, allowing members to earn credits on rides abroad that can be redeemed once back home. A new Shop for Me feature lets users request items from any store, even those not listed on the app. Eats for the Way allows riders in select cities booking an Uber Black or Uber Black SUV to have a drink or snack waiting for them in the car. Voice Bookings, powered by artificial intelligence, lets users book a ride conversationally, without touching their phone. And a redesigned One Search bar consolidates results for places, food and items across the entire Uber platform in a single query.
Uber has now logged more than 72 billion trips since it launched in 2010. The question it is now answering is what comes after the ride. The answer, apparently, is everything else. Whether users want a hotel in Paris, a coffee in the back of a car or a snake plant from the local garden centre, Uber would very much like to be the one to provide it. The app economy’s land grab has a new front-runner.
NOTE: The image used is AI generated and only for representational purposes.
