Brands
HUL to drive competitiveness of its brands
KOLKATA: Consumer goods major Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) is looking at strengthening the core of its business and drive competitiveness of its brands in the market.
“We continue to strengthen the core of our business and drive the competitiveness of our brands in the market. At the same time, we are leading market development in relatively nascent categories such as packaged foods and premium personal care with strong results,” said HUL chairman Harish Manwani.
Talking about the packaged food segment, Kolkata-based Microsec Research said, “It was the fifth successive quarter of double digit growth in packaged foods segment, led by Kissan and Kwality Walls.”
On brand investments, Manwani added: “Brand investments were sustained at competitive levels across all segments even as competitive intensity stepped up in the commodity linked categories.”
It should be noted that from food and beverages to personal care, HUL’s brands are part of everyday life. “Our brands play a major part in helping us achieve our sustainable living aims of helping more than a billion people improve their health and well-being; halving the environmental footprint of our products and sourcing 100 per cent of our agricultural raw materials sustainably. Given the fast changing external environment, we are managing our business dynamically for sustained volume led growth and margin improvement,” the company said.
From last two quarters, input costs were benign with a fall in crude oil prices and this has started to reflect in the lower cost of goods sold, the company further said.
To pass on the benefits of reduced inputs costs, the FMCG major has reduced the prices of soaps and detergents, which accounted for around 50 per cent of its revenues in the last quarter.
When a city based analyst was called, he said in the current quarter one can expect price cut in skin cleansing products and tea and other verticals, which did not see any price correction.
Since price cuts are expected to take place in premium brands as well apart from mass brands, as the company hinted, HUL is aiming see consumers upgrading themselves, the analyst said.
As per Microsec Research, Pureit delivered another good quarter of double digit growth led by the premium segment.
Brands
Samsung India mobile chief quits after 18 years
Raju Antony Pullan’s exit leaves a gaping hole at the top as Chinese rivals tighten their grip
GURGAON: Raju Antony Pullan has had enough. The senior vice-president and head of Samsung India’s mobile phone business has put in his papers after 18 years at the Korean giant, a tenure long enough to have watched the company stride to the top of India’s smartphone market and then stumble, badly, as Chinese upstarts muscled in.
Pullan, who ran sales, marketing and every last function of the smartphone business, tendered his resignation on Thursday and is currently serving out his notice period. Samsung has not named a successor. It has a second line of leadership waiting in the wings, Aditya Babbar and Hiren Rathod among them, but no decision has been made on who steps up.
The timing is awkward. Samsung has been haemorrhaging market share to Chinese brands and now clings to a top-two position only in the premium segment, where it scraps it out with Apple. Losing the man who stewarded the mobile business through its best and worst years hardly helps steady the ship.
A company that once owned India’s smartphone market is now fighting to stay relevant in it. Pullan’s departure is less a footnote than a flashing red light.
