Brands
Optimum Nutrition announces Neeraj Chopra as its brand ambassador
Mumbai: Optimum Nutrition, the World’s #1 Sports Nutrition brand, in a press conference in New Delhi announced Neeraj Chopra, the reigning Olympic, World, Asian Champion and India’s Javelin star, as its brand ambassador.
Optimum Nutrition is a brand of Glanbia Performance Nutrition (GPN), a company which is home to consumer brands that help people around the world meet their nutritional goals. Optimum Nutrition has been supporting athletes in achieving their fitness goals for over three decades and the collaboration with Chopra as his ‘Strength and Recovery Partner’, is similarly aimed at supporting his quest for a Gold medal in his Championship journey next year. Neeraj has been actively spreading the importance of nutrition in his hometown of Panipat in sync with the brand’s message – ‘Zyada Kar Dikhane Ki Taaqat”. Neeraj has also been a staunch supporter of propagating the achievements of women athletes across India.
As part of the association, Optimum Nutrition will be fuelling Chopra’s championship journey providing him with the “Strength to do More” in the year 2024 as we inch closer to the biggest event in the world of sports.
Glanbia Performance Nutrition India Pvt. Ltd chairman and managing director Satyavrat Pendharkar said, “We are honoured to have Neeraj Chopra as part of the Optimum Nutrition team. His unwavering dedication, outstanding achievements, and commitment to community development align perfectly with Optimum Nutrition’s core values. Together, we aim to make a lasting impact and empower individuals through the power of nutrition.”
He further added, “As Neeraj Chopra’s official nutrition partner, Optimum Nutrition will provide him with products that will help him with the strength, recovery and energy requirements to unlock his full potential and deliver the MORE that lies within him. By leveraging our expertise and scientific research in sports nutrition, we will work closely with Neeraj to develop a tailored nutritional strategy that optimizes his performance on, and off the field.”
Chopra equally enthusiastic about the collaboration shared, “I am delighted to join forces with Optimum Nutrition, a brand that shares my passion for excellence and community welfare. With Optimum Nutrition, I am confident that I have a strong partner that will allow me to push myself further and bring laurels to the nation.”
Chopra’s partnership with Optimum Nutrition emphasises the brand’s commitment to empowering athletes with the highest quality nutrition products, enabling them to push their limits and achieve their utmost potential. The association further reaffirms the brand’s mission to not only support elite athletes but also inspire all fitness enthusiasts worldwide, encouraging them to pursue their fitness goals with unwavering dedication and premium nutritional assistance.
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.
