MAM
HUL swims against ad slowdown slide, ups ad spends in Q1 by 30%
MUMBAI: Swimming against the slowdown tide in the economy, fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) giant Hindustan Unilever has upped its ad spends by 29.5 per cent for the fiscal-first quarter to Rs 8.20 billion, from Rs 6.33 billion a year ago.
The ad spend to revenue ratio has seen growth to 12.43 per cent in the first quarter compared to 11.21 per cent in the earlier year.
HUL’s net sales from operations increased by 13.72 per cent to Rs 62.50 billion in the three-month period ended 30 June 2012, from Rs 54.96 billion a year ago. HUL’s net profit jumped to Rs 13.31 billion for the quarter as compared to Rs 6.27 billion in the earlier year, marking a 112.28 per cent increase.
Soaps and detergents grew 24 per cent as laundry sustained its robust growth trajectory with all brands growing in double digits across formats. Continued focus on driving upgradation saw the premium segment perform well with both Surf and Rin delivering double digit volume growth, the company said.
All the segments and key brands in the Skin Cleansing category grew in double digits as Dove and Pears continued to drive category premiumisation and Lux accelerated its growth momentum. The Axe brand was extended with the launch of the New Axe Bar Soap.
In case of personal products the category grew at 17 per cent and was led by double digit volume growth with the three main brands in skin care – Fair & Lovely (FAL), Ponds and Lakme growing in double digits. This category saw quite a few innovations with the relaunch of FAL during the quarter, the introduction of Vaseline Heel Cream and relaunch of the Lakme Perfect Radiance range with revolutionary technology in skin lightening.
Hair care products and brands also delivered double digit growth across formats as Dove shampoo doubled its volumes this the quarter.
The Oral Care category also increased growth to reach double digits and saw the launch of the Pepsodent Expert Protection range with advanced care benefits around whitening and sensitivity towards the end of the quarter.
Beverages grew seven per cent brought about by a strong growth in the coffee segment while modern trade accelerated tea growth. Packaged food grew at 17 per cent. Kissan led by volumes as its ketchup brand recorded double digit growth for the 11th year in a row.
MUMBAI: In India’s fast-moving payments race, Visa has just swiped in a new leader. The company has named Suresh Sethi as its India country head, marking a key leadership shift as it sharpens its focus on digital payments growth in the market. Sethi steps into the role following his recent exit from Protean eGov Technologies, where he served as chief executive officer. He succeeds Sandeep Ghosh, who has moved on after more than four years at Visa to pursue an external opportunity.
The appointment comes at a time when Visa is doubling down on its expansion strategy across India and the wider region, deepening partnerships and accelerating adoption in an increasingly competitive digital payments ecosystem.
Sethi brings with him a broad, cross-market perspective shaped by decades of experience across corporate banking, retail financial services, mobile money and large-scale government technology initiatives. He began his career at Citigroup, where he spent 14 years working across India, Africa, South America and the United States, focusing on transaction banking services within the corporate bank.
His appointment signals a blend of institutional experience and market familiarity qualities that could prove critical as Visa navigates a landscape where fintech innovation, regulatory evolution and consumer adoption are all accelerating at once.
As digital payments in India continue to scale rapidly, the leadership change underscores a simple reality, in a market where every tap, scan and swipe counts, who leads the charge can matter just as much as the technology itself.
