MAM
Springer to commence media business publishing from India
BANGALORE: The world’s second largest player in publishing technical articles with a 10 per cent global market share and the largest in books with a 25 per cent market share – Germany’s Springer Science Business to Business (SSB2B) is bullish on India.
SSB2B, one of the leaders in scientific, technical and medical (STM) publishing is making its presence in India through two entities – Springer (India) in Delhi and Scientific Publishing Services in Chennai. Today, SSB2B CEO Haank announced that India would continue to play a strategic role in the STM market as well as in business process outsourcing.
Currently, 25 per cent of SSB2B’s 5000 strong labour force is in India, and the company plans to increase India’s share to 50 per cent of their global projected work force over the next few years, even if this means job cuts for their European and American labor force. “We have not taken it upon ourselves to subsidise the German economy, we have a responsibility to our share-holders”, said Hank during a press conference in Bangalore.
Elucidating his reasons for the increased love for India, Hank said, “ Indian labor is cheaper than European, having similar or better skills, and the productivity, quality of output and speed is superior to the operations in Europe and the US. Indian labor costs just 35 per cent, even if you add another 35 per cent towards coordination, traveling, etc, India is still more cost-effective. Add to this the fact that 98 per cent of Scientific, Technical and Medical (STM) publication globally is in English, and with an Indian’s knowledge of English.”
SSB2B with revenues of about 1 billion Euros, of which 300 million Euros comes from the B2B and media business publications plan to start a media business publication in India. Currently all the 100 or so trade journals are in German.
SSB2B has 70 publishing companies in USA, Europe and Asia, with 1450 journals and over 4000 new books published every year.
Haank is very bullish about the internet too. He says “The Internet has revolutionised how everyone communicates and has accelerated the speed of scientific discovery. Among all of the publishing areas, scientific publishing has been the most affected by the Internet. In most cases, it has replaced paper – first with the advent of electronic journals, then with the digitisation of journal backfiles, etc. In the future, books, too, will be affected.”
He added, “Springer has been actively involved with the Indian digital library and other resource-sharing initiatives by providing globally acknowledged scientific and research content. Springer in India, is involved in networking of all the major research institutes, special libraries and engineering colleges to our global database platform, SpringerLink.
Some of the major consortia initiatives in India are UGC Infonet (University education), INDEST (Technical Education), CSIR (Industrial Research), ISI (Statistical Research), FORSAA (Physical Sciences Research) and TIFR (Research in Basic Science).
“Our vision is to provide a global forum for knowledge exchange in academic and professional publishing by fostering partnerships and co-publishing with societies and professional bodies to serve the information needs of the communities across the globe. India is also a part of our global initiative for developing countries”, concluded Haank.
Brands
Kwality Wall’s reports standalone losses following strategic HUL demerger
Ice cream major faces Rs 64 crore Ebitda loss amid commodity inflation and muted Q3 sales
MUMBAI: Kwality Wall’s (India) Limited (KWIL) has released its first set of financial results as a standalone entity, revealing a challenging start to its independent journey. Following its successful demerger from Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) on 1st December 2025 and its subsequent listing on 16th February 2026, the company is navigating a transition period marked by structural changes and high input costs.
For the quarter ended 31st December 2025, the company reported revenue of Rs 222 crores. Despite the revenue base, the bottom line was impacted by several factors, resulting in an Ebitda loss of Rs 64.2 crores. When calculated on a Pre-IND AS 116 basis, the Ebitda loss stood at Rs 83.8 crores.
Organic Sales Growth (OSG) declined by 6.5 per cent year-on-year during the quarter. Volume growth, however, saw a marginal increase of 1.2 per cent. The company reported a gross margin of 41.5 per cent. Additionally, exceptional expenses amounting to Rs 94 crores were recorded, primarily linked to non-recurring costs during the transition phase.
Performance across portfolios and channels was mixed. Within the impulse portfolio, brands such as Magnum and Cornetto recorded mid-single digit volume growth, indicating steady demand in on-the-go consumption. However, the in-home portfolio, which includes take-home packs, experienced muted consumption. The company is planning a relaunch of this category with improved offerings ahead of the 2026 season.
Quick commerce (Q-Com) continued to emerge as a strong growth driver, delivering robust double-digit growth during the quarter. Meanwhile, the company also expanded its physical distribution network by increasing the number of company-owned cabinets across markets.
Margin pressure during the quarter was driven by a combination of one-off factors and broader cost inflation. Gross margins were impacted by around 600 basis points due to trade investments made for stock liquidation. Additionally, cocoa price inflation contributed to another 400 basis points of pressure on margins.
Deputy managing director Chitrank Goel attributed the muted performance partly to prolonged monsoons and transitional challenges linked to the GST framework. Operating expenses also increased as the company invested in establishing its standalone supply chain, operational systems and corporate infrastructure following the demerger.
Looking ahead, the management remains focused on a volume-driven growth strategy. To restore profitability, the company has initiated a cost productivity programme aimed at reducing non-consumer-facing costs. It is also working on building regional manufacturing networks to optimise logistics expenses and improve operational efficiency.
The commodity outlook for the near term remains mixed. Dairy prices are expected to remain firm due to tight supply conditions and rising fodder costs. Sugar prices may also move higher following increases in the Minimum Selling Price (MSP). While cocoa prices have moderated recently, currency depreciation has offset some of the potential cost relief for the company.
