MAM
Samsung launches world’s first slim CRT television in Middle East
MUMBAI: Samsung Electronics has launched the world‘s first ‘slimmest‘ WS-32Z30HE, 32-inch CRT TV in the Middle East region.
The new model offers a horizontal viewing angle of more than 165 degrees to provide a picture-perfect entertainment experience from anywhere in the room and theatre-quality surround sound experience guaranteed by SRS WOW 3D technology.
Says Samsung Gulf Electronics sales and marketing senior manager Ashraf Sajid, ‘This HD (high-definition) ready TV is, aesthetically, similar to a LCD TV or Plasma TV that are capable of displaying at resolutions of 1080i images but is priced at less than half of a normal 32-inch LCD TV. It gives 150-mm space benefit with a depth size of 412 mm as compared to a Current Color TV which has a depth of 561mm.‘
Samsung claims that the new model offers more natural picture quality with a 100 per cent color reproduction, better contrast at a ratio of 5000:1 to provide greater brightness without comprising on contrast for real-to-life like images and better brightness at 800 candela.
‘As a proven leader in the flat-panel displays field, Samsung is proud to advance the technology to the next level with the new widescreen SlimFit TV, offering the ultimate combinations of screen size, picture resolution and an amazing price. The state-of-the-art SlimFit TV has many advantages with a front flat-panel TV Design (Interior Impact), HD Picture Quality (1080i/ 480p compatible) and a Flexible Display. These pieces will be an ode to elegance and performance – true masterpieces of design and engineering for home entertainment connoisseurs,‘ Sajid added.
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.
