Brands
ITC Hotels checks in strong profit growth in December quarter
MUMBAI: The hospitality business is clearly back in the fast lane. ITC Hotels Limited reported a solid December quarter, with higher room demand, steady food and beverage consumption, and tighter cost controls lifting profitability.
For the quarter ended 31 December 2025, ITC Hotels posted standalone revenue from operations of Rs 1,052.37 crore, up from Rs 938.70 crore a year ago. Including other income, total income stood at Rs 1,097.61 crore, marking a strong year-on-year improvement.
Profit before tax for the quarter came in at Rs 330.44 crore, even after accounting for exceptional items of Rs 52.53 crore. Net profit for the period rose to Rs 246.55 crore, compared with Rs 227.87 crore in the corresponding quarter last year, reflecting sustained recovery in the hospitality sector.
On the cost side, total expenses stood at Rs 714.64 crore, led by employee benefits of Rs 180.04 crore and other operating expenses of Rs 362.61 crore. Consumption of food and beverages remained stable at Rs 95.15 crore, indicating consistent demand across hotels and restaurants.
For the nine months ended 31 December 2025, ITC Hotels reported revenue from operations of Rs 2,556.87 crore, up from Rs 2,297.78 crore in the same period last year. Net profit for the nine-month period rose to Rs 547.91 crore, compared with Rs 434.36 crore in the previous year, underscoring improving operating leverage.
Earnings per share for the December quarter stood at Rs 1.18, while nine-month EPS came in at Rs 2.63. During the quarter, the company issued 1,34,000 equity shares under its employee stock option scheme, taking its paid-up equity share capital to Rs 208.29 crore as of 31 December 2025.
The latest numbers reinforce ITC Hotels’ steady post-pandemic rebound, with higher occupancies, improving margins and disciplined spending helping the company turn strong demand into healthier profits.
Brands
Lululemon picks former Nike executive to be its next chief
Heidi O’Neill, who helped grow Nike into a $45 billion giant, will take the top job in September
CANADA: Lululemon has found its next chief executive, and she comes with serious credentials. The athleisure giant named Heidi O’Neill as its new CEO on Wednesday, ending a search that has left the company running on interim leadership since earlier this year. O’Neill will take charge on September 8, 2026, based out of Vancouver, and will join the board on the same day.
O’Neill brings more than three decades of experience across performance apparel, footwear and sport. The bulk of that time was spent at Nike, where she was a central figure in one of corporate sport’s great growth stories, helping take the company from a $9 billion business to a $45 billion global powerhouse. She oversaw product pipelines, brand strategy and consumer connections, and played a significant role in shaping how Nike spoke to athletes around the world. Earlier in her career, she worked in marketing for the Dockers brand at Levi Strauss. She also brings boardroom experience from Spotify Technology, Hyatt Hotels and Lithia and Driveway.
The board was unequivocal in its enthusiasm. “We selected Heidi because of the breadth of her experience, her demonstrated success delivering breakthrough ideas and initiatives at scale, and her ability to be a knowledgeable change and growth agent,” said Marti Morfitt, executive chair of Lululemon’s board.
O’Neill, for her part, was bullish. “Lululemon is an iconic brand with something rare: genuine guest love, a product ethos rooted in innovation, and a global platform still in the early stages of its potential,” she said. “My job will be to accelerate product breakthroughs, deepen the brand’s cultural relevance, and unlock growth in markets around the world.”
Until she arrives, Meghan Frank and André Maestrini will continue as interim co-CEOs, before returning to their previous senior leadership roles once O’Neill steps in.
Lululemon is betting that a Nike veteran who helped build one of the world’s most powerful sports brands can do something similar for an athleisure label that has genuine love from its customers but is still chasing its full global potential. O’Neill has done it before at scale. The question now is whether she can do it again.
