Brands
Mondelez India Launches Cadbury Chocobakes
INDIA: Consumers of today world-over are relishing chocolate in different avatars especially within the bakery world. In India as well, Mondelez India sees this nascent and fragmented space growing exponentially and emerging as a billion-dollar opportunity in just a few years from now, given consumers’ love for chocolaty taste.
As the undisputed chocolate market leader and strong player in the biscuit category in India, Mondelez India leverages the power of its iconic chocolate brand to offer yet another unique eat experience to its consumers in the form of the Cadbury Chocobakes Choc-filled Cookies, redefining the taste of fast-evolving Choco-bakery segment.
Commenting on the latest innovation Sudhanshu Nagpal, Associate Director – Marketing (Biscuits), Mondelez India, said, “The launch of Cadbury Chocobakes Choc-filled Cookies stems from our constant endeavor to create and redefine categories. We have always looked at growing the consumption pie by expanding the brand’s narrative and leveraging occasions. In India, our vision specific to the Biscuits category is to ‘introduce delicious, consumer-relevant products’ and this latest innovation further builds on our vision of leading the future of snacking. With the iconic taste of Cadbury at its core, we believe that Cadbury Chocobakes Choc-filled Cookies will further strengthen our position in the fast-emerging Choco-bakery segment and consolidate our foothold in the snacking domain.”
Cadbury Chocobakes Choc-filled Cookies, is truly a cross-pollination of the iconic Chocolate and Biscuit category, delivering a delightful and unique experience for the consumer. Unlocking the potential of indulgence, this latest innovation is an attempt to further premiumize the biscuit category while expanding its trajectory in the country on the back of agile innovations that continue to match the growing consumer expectations. This initiative underscores the company’s commitment to stay consumer-obsessed and to empower consumers to snack right, by providing them with more choice and newer eat experiences.
The launch of Cadbury Chocobakes Cookies will be supported by a 360-degree communication campaign, designed to bring to the fore the company’s latest innovation, which will include a new TVC, innovative outdoor, print & digital campaigns along with strong in-store visibility. Cadbury Chocobakes Choc-filled Cookies is priced at Rs. 30 for 75g and Rs. 60 for 150g.
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.
