Brands
Vodafone U celebrates Friendship Day with ‘million fun experiences’
MUMBAI: With Friendship Day round the corner (Friendship Day is celebrated on the first Sunday of August), it’s that time of the year, when much of life revolves around making new friends and engaging more with older ones, especially for the youth. As they return to colleges and campuses, Vodafone U, a first of its kind lifestyle proposition for youth, has created the platform of Million Fun Experiences For the youth to engage and enjoy.
Targeting the socially active and increasingly demanding Indian youth,Vodafone U has launched a ‘Back to Campus’ campaign engaging with youngsters on topics and issues that matter to them most – friends, music, fashion, health and entertainment among others. The month long campaign in 400 leading colleges across top 50 cities will be driven through campus engagements and promoted via social media. On offer are unlimited fun and unbelievable experiences – from intercollegiate music competitions, music concerts, gaming zones, campus star contests and International Trips and many other telecom and non-telecom benefits and unlimited moments to enjoy with friends.
Speaking about Vodafone U and offering Million Fun Experiences,Sandeep Kataria, Director – Commercial, Vodafone India, said, “There is a lot happening in the life of youngsters today and they do not want to miss out! With Vodafone U, on offer is a bundle of benefits that will keep them connected with friends and fun via the world of internet, voice, music plus. Million Fun Experiences including a chance to win once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to enjoy the popular Tomatina festival in Spain or the Ultra Music Fest in Singapore. It is an opportunity for them to create a lifetime worth of memories with their buddies. Fun will always be on for the young as their world of interest, residing in their pocket, will be active, 24X7”
Beginning 3rd August, Vodafone is running the Back to Campus campaign in 20 plus colleges across Delhi NCR including Delhi College of Arts & Commerce, Delhi College of Engineering, Hans Raj College, Hindu College, Jesus & Mary College, Kirori Mal College, Miranda House, Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, Shri Ram College of Commerce, Sri Venkateswara College and Amity University amongst others.
Under the Million Fun Experience umbrella, recently Vodafone U customers in Delhi & NCR won tickets to a Lucky Ali, Sona Mohapatra and Papon concert. Back to Campus campaign receive enthusiastic response from some of the top colleges in Mumbai.In Maharashtra and Goa,Vodafone U has launched ‘Vodafone U- Battle of the Bands’ – one-of-its kind inter-city and inter-college Band competition in 100 colleges across five cities.
And there are more experiences! Once connected with Vodafone U one can use the MyVodafone App to avail of exciting offers like Buy One and Get One Free offers at Café Coffee Day, Amazon.com, Dominos, Lifestyle Retail, Mad over Donuts and US Pizza and many more youth centric brands!
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.
