Brands
Sundrop Brands posts 80 per cent Ebitda jump in Q3
Revenue rose 10 per cent while gross margins expanded 330 basis points
GURUGRAM: The latest quarterly results from Sundrop Brands, formerly known as Agro Tech Foods, suggest the snack-maker has found its second wind. For the quarter ended 31 December 2025, consolidated revenue rose about 10 per cent on a pro forma basis, supported by strong trading performance, the company said in its earnings call.
Under the stewardship of group managing director Nitish Bajaj, the firm is aggressively pivoting from low-margin staples towards “joyful food experiences” in the premium packaged segment.
The strategy appears to be paying off in the P&L; consolidated Ebitda soared by 80 per cent during the quarter, aided by a 330-basis-point expansion in gross margins. This “profitable growth” was driven largely by the foods business, even as the company ramped up marketing spend by 22 per cent to defend its turf.
The group’s flagship popcorn brand, Act II, remains the “crown jewel”. Ready-to-eat formats grew at a blistering 36 per cent as they muscle into the wider snacks market, maintaining a “moat” through a savvy Rs 10 price point and an efficient backend that challenges newcomers like Marico’s 4700 BC.
However, it is not all smooth sailing; the spreads business remains under pressure from nimble competitors, prompting a flurry of seven new high-protein peanut butter launches to regain lost share. Despite these hurdles, the company’s innovation engine is humming, with new products launched in the last two years now accounting for 5 per cent of total sales, or some Rs 55 crore.
Integration with the Del Monte franchise is also yielding fruit, particularly in B2B channels which now account for 40 per cent of that division’s revenue. While a dip in global olive oil prices dented value growth, volumes in the Italian segment jumped by 16 per cent, with olive oil volumes alone surging by 34 per cent. This suggests that Sundrop’s appetite for market share is far from sated. The company is also betting big on digital distribution, with quick-commerce channels growing at nearly 50 per cent and sales force automation now covering over half of its vast retail network.
Looking ahead, Sundrop Brands has signaled an ambitious intent to double its top line over the next three to four years, targeting a compounded annual growth rate of roughly 15 per cent.
Management aims to squeeze further efficiencies from the business, eyeing a 3-4 per cent expansion in gross margins and a 3 per cent reduction in SG&A costs, while keeping the marketing budget steady at 6 per cent of revenue.
With a fresh five-year Esop plan tying management’s fortunes to these performance milestones, the board is betting that this racy trajectory is more than just a flash in the pan.
Brands
HSBC names Gautam Anand to head global India private banking unit
The bank taps a 25-year veteran to run its franchise as the war for wealthy NRI clients heats up
MUMBAI: HSBC has handed Gautam Anand the keys to its global India private banking business, betting that a seasoned operator can squeeze more out of one of the world’s most lucrative pools of offshore wealth.
Anand, who joined HSBC Private Bank in December 2023 as global co-ordinator for Global India, the Middle East, North Africa and Europe, steps up to lead the franchise outright. He will run the operation across India and its key international outposts in Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and the United Kingdom, putting him squarely in the middle of the corridors through which Indian money flows abroad.
The appointment is a signal of intent. HSBC only launched its global private banking business in India in 2023, pitching hard at high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients as part of a broader assault on Asian wealth management. The bank now wants Anand to turn that beachhead into a fortress.
He comes well-armed. Before HSBC, Anand clocked time at UBS, Credit Suisse, ANZ and ABN Amro, a CV that reads like a roll-call of the banks that have long competed to manage the fortunes of India’s affluent diaspora.
With Indian wealth exploding at home and spreading fast across global financial centres, the race to capture it is only getting fiercer. HSBC is backing Anand to make sure it does not finish second.
