Brands
Zoomcar introduces new product category with 50% lower pricing
Mumbai: Zoomcar, the leading marketplace for car sharing in emerging markets, has announced a new product category on its platform called the Thrift Store. This new product category is a powerful move by the recently NASDAQ listed company, Zoomcar, offering up to 50% lower pricing for same day bookings and up to 30-45% off for next day bookings paving the path to new found affordability and accessibility for guests. Zoomcar is available across 45+ cities in India including delivery to guests at transit points like airports and railway stations with a comprehensive portfolio of cars across categories – Hatchbacks, Sedans, MUVs, SUVs, EVs, and Luxury cars.
Compared to cab rentals who typically have surge pricing for immediate demand, this innovative pricing offering is set to transform the landscape of self drive car sharing with a customer first approach making it more affordable and enjoyable. Local hosts on the Zoomcar platform have the ability to opt into this feature to increase the usage of their vehicles during the weekdays with an expectation of increasing their overall earnings.
Designed to reinforce the relative value and competitive pricing of self-drive, Thrift Store’s transparent and predictable new affordable pricing structure, aims to build trust and foster long-term relationships with its valued customers.
Zoomcar co-founder & CEO Greg Moran said, “We want to put the pedal to the metal with Thrift Store where guests can experience the freedom of spontaneous self drive travel. It is a game changer for our local hosts too, making their cars instantly available for bookings while maximizing their earnings and contributing to a more sustainable and efficient car-sharing ecosystem. This is not a one time marketing campaign but an always on product offering as Zoomcar remains fully committed to making the self-drive experience not just convenient but also fully affordable to the everyday consumer.”
Zoomcar president Adarsh Menon added, “Zoomcar’s Thrift Store is our solution to offering one of the most convenient & cost effective travel options especially given the freedom and privacy of self drive. We want our customers to feel confident while driving a car worry free without the fear of unexpected costs, breaking the bank or even owning it. For the hosts, it is our endeavor and promise to provide them an increase in bookings and sustained income.”
A recent report from Zoomcar also shared an industry leading NPS with an average trip rating of nearly 4.7. The Thrift Store product launch is a testament to Zoomcar’s commitment to customer-centric innovation and its broader focus toward building a stronger self-drive car sharing ecosystem.
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.
