Brands
Royal Stag is now ‘India’s most valuable brand’
MUMBAI: Royal Stag, the leading whisky brand from Pernod Ricard India has been chosen as ‘India’s Most Valuable Brand’ in the liquor category in an in-depth ranking of Indian brands. The ranking was undertaken by one of Asia’s leading brand rating companies, World Consulting & Research Corporation (WCRC) in association with KPMG.
Royal Stag has been awarded “The 100 most valuable brands of the year” in the country in terms of innovation, aspiration and admiration from a shortlist of nearly 750 brands. The WCRC ranking is the largest multi-platform ‘brand trust’ and ‘loyalty benchmark’ project involving the most prestigious brands in the Indian market.
Royal Stag, by virtue of its unique value propositions and attributes was adjudged as the leading brand, having successfully reinforced a profound and meaningful connect with its customers. In line with the brand philosophy of “It’s your life, Make it Large”, Royal Stag, reaches out to consumers who believe in looking beyond materialistic success, and for whom it is important to earn stature, dignity and respect.
Speaking about the award, Raja Banerji Assistant Vice President Pernod Ricard India said, “The award is a testament of the hard work that has gone into making Royal Stag – an iconic brand. I take this opportunity to thank everyone who has contributed in taking this brand to exhilarating heights. This was an outcome of a rigorous ranking exercise and we are pleased to be recognised as one of the best brands in the country. We are confident that Royal Stag will continue to power ahead with the same passion and commitment”
Created in 1995, Seagram’s Royal Stag and Royal Stag Barrel Select (more recently in 2011) are the flagship brands of Pernod Ricard India. A delectable blend of Indian spirits and imported Scottish malt, Royal Stag set an industry benchmark by becoming the first liquor brand in India without artificial flavouring. With this award, Pernod Ricard intends to continue to its strategy of building strong premium brands.
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.
