Latest news with #HindustanUnilever
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Business Standard
4 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Indian consumer rapidly evolving due to aspirations, tech: HUL chief
'New dynamics a significant opportunity' for FMCG sector, says Nitin Paranjpe Sharleen Dsouza Mumbai India's economic development, technology and aspirations create 'significant opportunity' for the consumer goods sector, said Nitin Paranjpe, chairman of Hindustan Unilever (HUL), in a letter to shareholders in the company's annual report for FY25. India is set to deliver strong and consistent growth due to increasing affluence, a burgeoning middle class, a vibrant young working population empowered by a strong public digital backbone, and growth-oriented policies, he said. 'Economic development, technological advancements and a better quality of life have fuelled the aspirations of our consumers. These new dynamics present a significant opportunity for the FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) sector,' he said. HUL is well-positioned to meet the evolving needs of the aspiring Indian and its strategy is 'clear, future-focused and rooted in creating value for all our stakeholders'. 'In the financial year 2024-25, the business witnessed a challenging operating environment with uneven weather patterns, volatile commodity prices and muted consumer demand.' 'Against this backdrop, your company, Hindustan Unilever, has delivered a competitive and profitable performance by navigating short-term volatility while continuing to invest for the long term. We remain confident that the future holds a host of exciting opportunities,' he said. For the 'digital native consumer', the company has adopted a social-first approach in its marketing and creating engaging content. 'We are strengthening our presence in channels of the future with a focus on Future Core and Market Maker portfolio. In fact, we are deploying the Winning in Many Indias (WiMI) 2.0 approach to reach our consumers. WiMI 2.0 is based on the understanding that consumers across the economic pyramid will have varied interests and expectations, including what they buy and where they shop,' he added. HUL is building 'distinctive moats' that will help it thrive in the future. The company is leveraging its global repertoire of technology and innovation to bring science-backed products to consumers. 'Armed with our new strategy anchored around sharper portfolio choices, excellence in new demand drivers, acceleration of moats as well as the pillars of a winning culture and focused actions on sustainability, we are ready to serve the needs and leverage the opportunities of an evolving India. We believe that in partnering (with) the nation, we are well-placed to deliver growth in the future,' said Paranjpe.
Mint
4 days ago
- Business
- Mint
HUL confident of growth in FY26 amid improving demand, lower prices
New Delhi: Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) expects demand conditions to improve over this financial year aided by broad monetary stimulus, lower food and crude inflation, and higher agricultural output, helping India's largest consumer goods company drive up its sales volume. For fiscal year 2024-25, turnover surpassed ₹ 60,000 crore for the maker of Dove soaps and Kissan sauces and jams. The company reported a 2% increase in sales, a similar rise in volume growth, and a 5% growth in earnings per share (EPS). Profit for the fiscal year improved 5% to ₹ 10,644 crore. 'Looking ahead, we expect demand conditions to improve gradually over the next fiscal year,' Hindustan Unilever said in its annual report for 2024-25. 'Macro conditions will benefit from monetary stimulus, lower food and crude inflation and higher agricultural output. In this context, our focus remains on driving competitive volume led growth across our business.' HUL said it had a 'strong conviction' in the significant mid- to long-term potential of India's fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector, fueled by increasing affluence, substantial headroom for growth in per capita consumption, and rapidly developing digital infrastructure that enhances market access and consumer engagement. HUL boasts a portfolio of more than 50 brands spanning 15 categories, including packaged foods, home care, and personal care, and reaching nine out of every 10 Indian households. At 11.26am on Friday, the stock was down 0.22% at ₹ 2,362.55 on BSE, while the Sensex was down 0.24%. In FY25, India's FMCG industry witnessed subdued demand in urban markets, although rural areas saw a gradual improvement in consumption. Commodity prices increased significantly, particularly in palm oil, tea and coffee, whereas crude oil, soda ash and skimmed milk powder were deflationary. 'Despite this, we maintained a healthy gross margin at 50.3%,' HUL said in its annual report. 'During the year, we continued to generate fuel for growth with our end-to-end net productivity programme across all the lines of the P&L leveraging buying efficiencies, smart formulations, driving logistics and manufacturing cost efficiencies, marketing efficiencies, net revenue management and accelerating simplicity through digital transformation,' the company said. 'We deployed the generated savings to build our brands and strategic capabilities, in line with our capital deployment strategy.' In FY25, HUL segmented its portfolio into core, future core, and market makers portfolios to attract more customers. The company has revamped core brands like Lifebuoy, Vim, and Lakmé, and launched more premium brands such as Liquid I.V. and Hellmann's Mayonnaise. It also acquired new-age personal care brand Minimalist for ₹ 2,955 crore, divested its water purifier business Pureit, and announced the demerger of its ice cream business. 'This year marked a significant transformation towards excelling in demand drivers for our affluent and aspiring consumers. Consumers now navigate across platforms creating a complex web of touchpoints and we aim to go where our consumers are,' Rohit Jawa, chief executive officer and managing director, HUL, said in the report. 'For instance, we have significantly boosted our investments in digital marketing—today 40% of our spends are on digital media. We have over 12,000 influencers whom we collaborate with for our brands,' Jawa added. The company added that its core portfolio will focus on brands 'that are at the sweet spot of premiumisation'. 'We have continued to unlock access to these brands to a larger number of consumers by democratising trends, and as a result, grew faster than the market. We are building segments of the future through our market makers portfolio. While it is currently a smaller part of our business, it will continue to grow rapidly in the years to come. This Rs7,000 crore segment has delivered double-digit growth during the year, as we focus on expanding business,' the company said. HUL also announced the acquisition of the palm undertakings of Vishwatej Oil Industries Pvt. Ltd and an investment in Lucro Plastecycle Pvt. Ltd, a maker of recycled plastics.
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Business Standard
6 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
HUL, Kaveri Seeds among 5 stock picks this monsoon; check upside potential
Technical outlook on 5 stocks - Hindustan Unilever, Dabur, Insecticides India, Jain Irrigation, Kaveri Seeds - that are likely to trade favourably as per the charts this monsoon season. Rex Cano Mumbai Listen to This Article The monsoon season in India this year 2025 started earlier than anticipated on May 24, 2025 - almost a week earlier than the usual June 1 date, and the earliest since 2009. On Tuesday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) raised its monsoon forecast for 2025, projecting rainfall at 106 per cent of the long-period average (LPA), and expects June rainfall to be "above normal", at over 108 per cent of the LPA. The Indian monsoon has a direct impact on the agriculture sector, and also boosts the rural income and overall economy. Shares from agriculture, auto
Economic Times
25-05-2025
- Business
- Economic Times
M-cap of 6 of top-10 most valued firms erodes by Rs 78,166 crore; Reliance biggest laggard
The combined market valuation of six of the top-10 most valued firms eroded by Rs 78,166.08 crore last week, with Reliance Industries taking the biggest hit, in line with weak trends in equities. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads The combined market valuation of six of the top-10 most valued firms eroded by Rs 78,166.08 crore last week, with Reliance Industries taking the biggest hit, in line with weak trends in equities. Last week, the BSE benchmark dropped 609.51 points or 0.74 per cent and the Nifty declined 166.65 points or 0.66 per Reliance Industries, TCS, ICICI Bank Infosys and Hindustan Unilever were the laggards, HDFC Bank Bajaj Finance and ITC were the gainers from the top-10 market valuation of Reliance Industries declined by Rs 40,800.4 crore to Rs 19,30,339.56 crore. Tata Consultancy Services ' valuation dropped by Rs 17,710.54 crore to Rs 12,71,395.95 valuation of Infosys went lower by Rs 10,488.58 crore to Rs 6,49,876.91 crore and that of Hindustan Unilever eroded by Rs 5,462.8 crore to Rs 5,53,974.88 market capitalisation (mcap) of ICICI Bank edged down by Rs 2,454.31 crore to Rs 10,33,868.01 crore and that of State Bank of India dipped by Rs 1,249.45 crore to Rs 7,05,446.59 the mcap of Bharti Airtel jumped Rs 10,121.24 crore to Rs 10,44,682.72 valuation of Bajaj Finance surged Rs 4,548.87 crore to Rs 5,74,207.54 crore and that of ITC climbed Rs 875.99 crore to Rs 5,45,991.05 mcap of HDFC Bank went up by Rs 399.93 crore to Rs 14,80,723.47 Industries remained the most valuable firm followed by HDFC Bank, TCS, Bharti Airtel, ICICI Bank, State Bank of India, Infosys, Bajaj Finance, Hindustan Unilever and ITC.
Time of India
24-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Goafest 2025: Without real views, digital advertising loses its business impact, Tejas Apte
HighlightsTejas Apte, head of media and digital marketing at Hindustan Unilever, emphasized the urgent need for a trustworthy media ecosystem to combat the pervasive issue of fake impressions and fraudulent practices in digital advertising. The Indian Society of Advertisers launched the Media Charter, which focuses on four key pillars: Brand Safety, Viewability, Fraud Prevention, and the Ethical Use of First-Party Data, to address challenges in the digital advertising landscape. Apte highlighted the critical role of long-term partnerships with agencies, such as GroupM, in driving innovation and success within Hindustan Unilever, while acknowledging the impact of automation and in-housing agency functions. Tejas Apte , head of media and digital marketing at Hindustan Unilever (HUL) and chair of the Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA)'s Media forum, emphasised the critical need for a more robust and trustworthy media ecosystem, particularly in the digital realm. Speaking at Goafest 2025 on day 3, Apte highlighted that the pervasive issue of "fakes" – fake views, fake news, and fraudulent impressions – poses a significant threat to business effectiveness and the long-term health of the digital advertising industry. Apte articulated that the primary concern stemming from these "fakes" is the diminished effectiveness of advertising campaigns. He also shared that up to 30 percent of digital impressions may be fake or non-human, leading to major business inefficiencies. "The real loss here is that you invested a certain amount in the media. In the old days of television and print, the ad would physically appear in front of a real consumer. Today, with digital advertising, there's no guarantee the ad actually reaches a real person. If it doesn't, it can't have a tangible impact on the business. Ultimately, it's the digital ecosystem that suffers." He further pointed out that the predominantly ad-funded nature of digital media, in contrast to the more balanced subscription and advertising models of legacy mediums, makes it imperative to ensure brand safety and eliminate fraudulent impressions. "If all of your digital is going to be advertising driven, then making it safe for consumers, getting rid of any and every fake impression of a consumer is essential for the health of digital as a medium," Apte asserted. To address these pressing challenges, the ISA, in collaboration with various industry stakeholders, launched the Media Charter, built on four key pillars. The first is Brand Safety, which ensures that advertisements appear alongside content that is safe for both consumers and brands. The second is Viewability, aimed at guaranteeing that ad impressions are genuinely seen by consumers and not lost to hidden placements or fraud. Fraud Prevention forms the third pillar, targeting deceptive practices such as "ad buffering" that artificially inflate impression counts. Lastly, the charter emphasises the Ethical Use of First-Party Data, advocating for transparent, consent-driven collection and responsible utilization of consumer data. Apte also acknowledged the ongoing work on a fifth pillar: cross-media measurement, recognising the evolving landscape where TV and digital increasingly coexist. A significant aspect of the ISA Media Charter 's success, according to Apte, lies in its collaborative development. The playbooks accompanying the charter were co-created with major players like Google, Meta, DoubleVerify, and others, fostering a shared understanding of industry standards and advertiser expectations. This collaboration helps bridge the gap between input metrics provided by platforms and the business outcomes advertisers seek. Regarding the evolving relationship between advertisers and agencies, Apte underscored the critical role of agencies in HUL's success. He shared an example of GroupM and HUL which has been working for around 28 years. He emphasised the importance of long-term partnerships built on trust and the ability to constructively challenge agencies to innovate. "The service which is offered right now may not hold six months, two years, five years down the line," he remarked, referring to the impact of automation and AI. On the growing trend of in-housing agency functions, Apte acknowledged different degrees of implementation across clients. He highlighted the upsides, including easier data flow, improved business decision-making, and greater control over automated work. However, he maintained that core creative ideas and strategic media planning brilliance will continue to reside with agencies. "The big creative idea will still come from the creative person. The right inputs on the media plan will also come from the media planner." Apte also addressed the raids conducted by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) in March on several media agencies and industry bodies, including the ISA. While avoiding speculation due to the ongoing nature of the investigation and the lack of public information about its origins, he noted, 'Nobody knows what triggered it or what exactly is being investigated. There's still nothing in the public domain that clarifies the reasons behind the raids or the direction of the investigation.' Measuring the success of the ISA Media Charter, Apte stated, will involve observing a decline in overall ad fraud and an increase in brand safety across the industry, particularly among smaller advertisers. He also expressed optimism for progress on cross-media measurement in the near future. Within HUL, Apte noted that the co-creation process of the charter led to the discovery of new partners and ideas, particularly in areas like brand safety and ethical first-party data collection, ultimately contributing to improved media quality for the organization.
