Brands
HUL Posts Rs 2,768 Crore Profit in Q1, Boosted by Minimalist Buy
MUMBAI: Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) has kicked off FY26 with a frothy performance in Q1, brewing Rs 2,768 crore in net profit up 6 per cent from the same quarter last year despite flat volume growth and a mild lather of margin pressure. Total revenue stood at Rs 16,323 crore, a 5 per cent rise from the previous year’s Rs 15,547 crore, driven by modest gains across key verticals including Home Care (Rs 5,815 crore), Beauty & Wellbeing (Rs 3,265 crore), Foods (Rs 3,896 crore), and Personal Care (Rs 2,126 crore). The company’s EBITDA for the quarter clocked in at Rs 3,718 crore with a margin of 22.8 per cent, a dip of 130 basis points versus the previous year.
But what added extra glow to the balance sheet this quarter was the inclusion of Uprising Science Private Limited makers of the cult-favourite skincare and haircare brand *Minimalist*. HUL completed a 90.5 per cent stake acquisition in April 2025 for Rs 2,706 crore, and the brand’s contribution from April to June has already been factored into the consolidated earnings.
While profit before tax stood at Rs 3,362 crore, a Rs 138 crore exceptional item mostly restructuring expenses and adjustments to legacy tax provisions shaved off some sheen. However, a re-estimation of tax expenses added a 12 per cent boost to PAT growth, softening the blow.
Interestingly, despite a slight dip in operating margins, HUL managed to grow its bottom line due to disciplined cost controls and a diversified category strategy. Foods and Beverages continues to be the tastiest pie, contributing Rs 3,896 crore in revenue, while Home Care kept the household engine running with Rs 5,815 crore.
On the segment results side, Home Care led the pack with Rs 1,093 crore in profits, followed closely by Beauty & Wellbeing (Rs 1,046 crore) and Foods (Rs 627 crore). Personal Care, however, saw a relative slide, reporting Rs 398 crore for the quarter.
With this quarterly update, HUL’s CEO Rohit Jawa seems to have set a confident tone for the year. The acquisition of *Minimalist* hints at a sharper pivot towards premium and digitally native brands, while its core continues to be driven by daily-use essentials.
Even as rural demand remains patchy, and discretionary consumption cautious, HUL is leaning into a “more for less” strategy revamping portfolios while keeping margins lean and marketing sharp.
A minimalist acquisition, a maximalist balance sheet HUL might just be setting the tone for the FMCG playbook in FY26.
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.
