Brands
Reliance Retail acquires Himalayan beauty brand Pahadi Local
Deal brings nature-led skincare brand into Reliance’s expanding beauty portfolio
MUMBAI: Reliance Retail Limited has acquired the beauty and wellness brand Pahadi Local, along with its business, from Pahadi Goodness Private Limited, further expanding its presence in India’s fast-growing natural skincare market.
The acquisition brings a Himalayan-inspired brand into Reliance Retail’s beauty portfolio, aligning with the company’s strategy of nurturing purpose-driven Indian brands with strong storytelling and loyal consumer communities.
Founded in 2018, Pahadi Local has built a reputation for skincare and wellness products rooted in traditional Himalayan ingredients and clean formulations. The brand draws on time-honoured extraction methods and locally sourced botanicals, offering products designed to support skin health while emphasising sustainability and transparency.
Commenting on the development, Reliance Retail Ventures Limited executive director Isha Ambani, said the brand’s ethos and authenticity make it a natural fit for the group’s growing beauty ecosystem.
“At Reliance Retail, we are focused on curating brands that combine authenticity with innovation and meaningful consumer relevance. Pahadi Local’s roots in Himalayan wellness traditions and its commitment to responsible sourcing make it a compelling addition to our beauty ecosystem,” she said.
Ambani added that Reliance plans to expand the brand through its omni-channel network and experiential retail platforms while preserving the purity and identity that define Pahadi Local.
A key highlight of the brand’s portfolio is Gutti Ka Tel, or apricot kernel oil, a traditional Himalayan ingredient that has gained popularity among skincare enthusiasts. The brand has also earned recognition for working closely with women-led self-help groups in Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh, supporting local livelihoods and community initiatives in healthcare, education and environmental conservation.
Following the acquisition, the founding team of Pahadi Local will continue to guide the brand’s creative direction and product development, ensuring continuity in its philosophy and consumer promise.
Reliance Retail plans to scale the brand by expanding its presence across physical retail formats, strengthening its digital commerce footprint and accelerating product innovation.
Reliance Retail Limited operates under Reliance Retail Ventures Limited, the holding company for retail businesses within the Reliance Industries group. Through its subsidiaries and affiliates, the company runs an integrated omni-channel network of 19,979 stores and digital platforms serving more than 378 million registered customers.
With the addition of Pahadi Local, Reliance Retail continues to sharpen its focus on high-potential Indian brands across beauty, wellness, fashion and lifestyle, particularly those rooted in authenticity, sustainability and strong community connections.
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.
