Brands
ITC Master Chef turns up the heat with new fries and kebab delights
MUMBAI: The freezer aisle just got a little hotter and a whole lot tastier. ITC Master Chef is turning up the flavour dial with two bold new entries to its frozen food spread: Piri Piri French Fries and Chicken Malai Seekh Kebab.
For those who like their snacking with a side of spice, the Piri Piri French Fries bring a fiery twist to a comfort classic. Made from quality potatoes and packed with two sachets of piri piri seasoning, they’re crisp, punchy, and addictive, perfect for air frying or deep frying when that craving hits.
Balancing the heat with something mellow, the Chicken Malai Seekh Kebab steps in with creamy indulgence. Rich in protein and curated with subtle spices and dairy notes, it promises a melt-in-mouth, restaurant-style experience that can be ready in minutes whether on the tawa, in the oven, or microwave.
“With consumers seeking both taste and convenience in their everyday snacking, we are delighted to launch two new products,” said ITC Limited vice president and business head for frozen and fresh foods Ashu Phakey. “The Chicken Malai Seekh Kebab is a treat for kebab lovers, while the Piri Piri Fries bring home the bold, zesty flavours consumers love.”
True to ITC Master Chef’s culinary promise, both products are freshly frozen, crafted with hygiene and care, and backed by the brand’s hallmark of quality. They join recent launches like Sabudana Tikki, Hara Bhara Kebab, and Punjabi Samosa, strengthening the brand’s hold over India’s frozen snacking market.
Now sizzling their way to leading retail and e-commerce shelves, ITC Master Chef’s new duo proves one thing whether you like it hot or mild, this brand has your cravings covered.
Brands
Estée Lauder to shed 10,000 jobs as new boss bets on digital shift
The cosmetics giant raises its profit outlook but stays silent on a possible merger with Spain’s Puig, as job cuts deepen and a three-year sales slump weighs on the turnaround
NEW YORK: Stéphane de La Faverie is not done cutting. Estée Lauder announced on Friday that it plans to eliminate as many as 3,000 additional jobs, taking its total redundancy programme to as many as 10,000 roles, up from a previous target of 7,000 announced a year ago. The company, which owns La Mer, The Ordinary, Tom Ford, and Aveda, employs roughly 57,000 people worldwide. The mathematics of what is now being contemplated is stark.
The fresh round of cuts is expected to generate a further $200 million in savings, bringing the total annual savings from the programme to as much as $1.2 billion before taxes. That money, De La Faverie has made clear, will be ploughed back into the turnaround.
A CEO in a hurry
De La Faverie, who took the helm in January 2025, inherited a company that had endured three consecutive years of annual sales declines. His response has been to move fast and cut deep. A significant portion of the latest redundancies reflects his push to reduce headcount at US department stores, long a cornerstone of Estée Lauder’s distribution model but now a channel in structural decline. In their place, he is accelerating the shift toward faster-growing online platforms, including Amazon.com and TikTok Shop, a pivot that is reshaping not just where Estée Lauder sells but how it thinks about its customers.
The numbers are moving in the right direction
Despite the pain, there are signs the medicine is working. Estée Lauder raised its profit outlook for the remainder of the fiscal year, guiding for adjusted earnings per share in the range of $2.35 to $2.45, above analyst estimates and a notable step up from the $2.05 to $2.25 range it had guided for in February. Organic net sales growth is expected to come in at 3 per cent, the company said, at the high end of the range it set out in February.
The share price tells a mixed story. After De La Faverie took charge, the stock surged nearly 60 per cent, buoyed by investor optimism that a longtime company insider could finally arrest the decline. But 2026 has been rougher: the shares have fallen 27 per cent this year, weighed down by disappointing February results and the overhang of unresolved merger talks with Spanish beauty giant Puig Brands SA. The company gave no additional details about those discussions on Friday, leaving the market to guess.
Silence on Puig
The proposed tie-up with Puig remains the most consequential unknown hanging over Estée Lauder. A deal with the Barcelona-based group, which owns brands including Carolina Herrera and Rabanne, would reshape the global luxury beauty landscape. But with nothing new to say and a turnaround still very much in progress, De La Faverie is asking investors to trust the process.
Three years of sales declines, 10,000 job cuts, and a merger that may or may not happen. At Estée Lauder, the overhaul has barely started.
