MAM
Timex returns to TATA IPL as official timekeeper for Punjab Kings
Mumbai: Timex, the global iconic watch brand is back at the edition 17 of TATA IPL, the most coveted cricketing entertainment event of the year and announces partnership with Punjab Kings as ‘official timekeeper of the Kings’. This association will see Timex branding on Punjab Kings with a very prominent logo placement on the trousers, making sure the team members put their winning foot forward. With a fairly settled team which has retained its strong core under the captaincy of veteran opener Shikhar Dhawan, Punjab Kings is all charged up for the season.
Timex and cricket have both built a strong legacy in India with attributes that best define both brands – passion, precision, and performance. With its ever-evolving consumer outreach strategy Timex always tries to find new ways to connect with its consumers. This partnership with Punjab Kings is in line with the brand’s strategy to reach out to masses and ride the wave of excitement around cricket which unites the nation.
Speaking on the partnership, Timex Group India MD Deepak Chhabra said “We are thrilled to be part of the IPL season this year with Punjab Kings as the official timekeeper of the kings. This is our second year with this cricketing extravaganza and with a young and energized team, we look forward to an exciting season ahead. Cricket is not just a sport with passion, it is also an entertainment event for the masses and this association is an opportunity to reach out to millions of consumers across the nation.”
Together Timex & Punjab Kings are all set to add more excitement to the TATA IPL fever and their dedicated supporters at every victory and exciting moment of what promises to be an adrenaline-filled show.
KPH Dream Cricket Ltd CEO Satish Menon said, “We are elated to have joined hands with an iconic legacy brand like Timex. We are sure that our similar values and ethos will help us reach a wider audience as well.”
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.
