Latest news with #KrisLicht
NDTV
25-04-2025
- Health
- NDTV
A Decade Of Impact: Dettol Banega Swasth India's Journey To A Healthier Nation
For over ten years, the 'Dettol Banega Swasth India' campaign, a partnership between Reckitt and NDTV, has been a prominent force in promoting public health across the nation. Launched in 2014 initially to bolster the government's Swachh Bharat Mission, the initiative has evolved into a comprehensive movement championing hygiene, health, and well-being, aiming to leave no one behind. Now in its 11th season under the banner "One World Hygiene," the campaign, fronted by Actor Ayushmann Khurrana, continues to drive behaviour change related to hand washing, antimicrobial resistance, and preventing AMR through good hand and body hygiene, maternal health, child health, and self-care. In India, there has been an alarming Rise of Antibiotic Resistance, from 29% in 2008 to 47% in 2014. The Banega Swasth India campaign has been at the forefront of spreading awareness, educating children and communities and working with experts to combat this rising disease. The campaign's impact also stems from diverse, targeted activities implemented over the years. The cornerstone Dettol School Hygiene Education Programme, using a dedicated curriculum, games, and innovative tools like the Hygiene Olympiad (which reached over 30 million children in its second edition), has educated millions of children across hundreds of thousands of schools on critical hygiene practices. Reports indicate significant success, including marked reductions in diarrhoea incidence among children and substantial decreases in school absenteeism due to illness. Reports indicate 40% of students miss school due to illness, and a 17% increase in attendance is linked to improved hygiene habits. Furthermore, initiatives like 'Diarrhoea Net Zero' were launched (e.g., in Uttar Pradesh, aiming for zero preventable diarrhoeal deaths in under-5s), and various kits ('Swasth,' 'Self-Care,' 'Hygiene Buddy') have been distributed to support mothers, children, and schools. The campaign has actively worked to embed hygiene practices into the cultural fabric, reaching communities across India. It has also taken India's message of hygiene to global platforms, showcasing initiatives like climate-resilient schools at COP29 and participating actively at significant national and international events like the Maha Kumbh Mela (ensuring hygiene for millions of Indians), Davos 2025, and the Jaipur Literature Festival. The success of this long-term strategy was recently underscored by Reckitt Benckiser's Global CEO Kris Licht. Speaking at the company's Q1 2025 earnings call, Mr. Licht highlighted India as a standout growth driver amidst global uncertainty. "As we sit here, we fully expect sustained strong volume growth in India and China as we go through this year," he stated This confidence is backed by results. India, contributing 8% of Reckitt's core global net revenue, delivered high single-digit growth in Q1 2025. Emerging markets overall grew a robust 10.7% (like-for-like). The company specifically noted strong volume growth for Dettol and Durex in India, with recent transcripts also confirming Harpic's strength. Globally, Reckitt's Germ Protection category (led by Dettol) grew 7.5% and Intimate Wellness (Durex) surged 16.6% in Q1 (like-for-like). Mr. Licht's comments affirm India's strategic importance, validating the success of Reckitt's sustained investment in the market, significantly powered by the decade-long Banega Swasth India initiative and its alignment with building a healthier nation ('Swasth Bharat').
Time of India
25-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Reckitt Benckiser's rare reflection: India a big growth driver
In a rare acknowledgement of India's strategic importance, Reckitt Benckiser Group Plc 's global chief executive officer Kris Licht said the country stands out as a growth driver even as global economies remain vulnerable to potential shocks. "As we sit here, we fully expect sustained strong volume growth in India and China as we go through this year," Licht told investors at Reckitt 's March quarter earnings call late on Wednesday. The £14.2-billion British consumer and healthcare company saw "some really strong volume growth in germ protection ( Dettol ) and intimate wellness ( Durex condoms) spaces" in India". This, Licht said, was powered by "simply strong organic performance". "Our businesses (in India) have very good momentum... We're scaling innovation. And we absolutely expect that to continue," said Licht, who took over the corner office at Reckitt in October 2023. India holds strategic importance for Reckitt, not only due to its large consumer base but also its alignment with public health goals. The company launched its 'Dettol Banega Swachh India' campaign in 2014 to support the government's Swachh Bharat Mission. Since then, Reckitt has leveraged this alignment with the government's campaigns to drive behaviour change to deepen its market penetration to smaller towns and rural areas with lower-priced packs of hygiene brands such as Dettol anti-germ soap and Lizol and Harpic disinfectant cleaners. The company-which has had two Indian global chiefs in Rakesh Kapoor and later Laxman Narasimhan-has also extended each of these brands to premium variants to attract better-off urban consumers. Reckitt Benckiser 's core like-for-like business grew 3.1 per cent in net revenue in the January-March '25 quarter to touch £2.63 billion, driven by strong performance in emerging markets such as India and China. Sales in Europe and North America declined 1.7 per cent and 0.9 per cent , respectively, amid reduced consumer spending. Reckitt reported consolidated net revenue of £3.68 billion for the first quarter. In India, the company reported a turnover of Rs 9,336 crore in calendar 2024, up 5.4 per cent on year, while profit jumped 22.6 per cent to Rs 2,231 crore, as per RoC filings. Reckitt's Lizol, Harpic and Dettol compete aggressively with HUL's Domex disinfectant cleaner and Lifebuoy anti-germ soap. Both companies had also capitalised on pandemic-induced demand. While Dettol leads the anti-germ protection soap category, Durex trails category leader Mankind Pharma 's Manforce in terms of market share, industry executives said, citing NielsenIQ data. Reckitt's India portfolio also includes Mortein mosquito repellent, Moov pain relief cream, Veet hair remover, Air Wick air fresheners and Strepsils lozenges. In its recently released 2024 annual report, Reckitt said it is well placed in the world's most populated country that accounts for 8 per cent of its core net revenue. "We sell through over one million outlets in India and have grown strongly over the past five years. Our manufacturing capability enables us to supply 95 per cent of products locally, helped by the recent doubling of our direct customer coverage," it said. The annual report stated that Reckitt is "confident about growth opportunities in emerging markets such as India, Africa and Latin America, where changing social attitudes are helping to drive higher adoption rates." Collectively, emerging markets represent the largest single area in Reckitt's power brand portfolio, led by the high-growth markets of India and China, it said. Addressing an analyst query on high prices of palm oil, the most crucial ingredient in soaps, Licht said: "We're paying a lot of attention to it, but I don't think that that's going to keep us from being successful." Recent months have seen palm oil prices surging on account of floods in high-producing countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia, resulting in soaps makers such as HUL, Reckitt and Godrej Consumer Products increasing prices.
Economic Times
25-04-2025
- Business
- Economic Times
Reckitt Benckiser's rare reflection: India a big growth driver
In a rare acknowledgement of India's strategic importance, Reckitt Benckiser Group Plc's global chief executive officer Kris Licht said the country stands out as a growth driver even as global economies remain vulnerable to potential shocks."As we sit here, we fully expect sustained strong volume growth in India and China as we go through this year," Licht told investors at Reckitt's March quarter earnings call late on Wednesday. The £14.2-billion British consumer and healthcare company saw "some really strong volume growth in germ protection (Dettol) and intimate wellness (Durex condoms) spaces" in India". This, Licht said, was powered by "simply strong organic performance". "Our businesses (in India) have very good momentum... We're scaling innovation. And we absolutely expect that to continue," said Licht, who took over the corner office at Reckitt in October 2023. India holds strategic importance for Reckitt, not only due to its large consumer base but also its alignment with public health goals. The company launched its 'Dettol Banega Swachh India' campaign in 2014 to support the government's Swachh Bharat Mission. Since then, Reckitt has leveraged this alignment with the government's campaigns to drive behaviour change to deepen its market penetration to smaller towns and rural areas with lower-priced packs of hygiene brands such as Dettol anti-germ soap and Lizol and Harpic disinfectant cleaners. The company-which has had two Indian global chiefs in Rakesh Kapoor and later Laxman Narasimhan-has also extended each of these brands to premium variants to attract better-off urban consumers. Reckitt Benckiser's core like-for-like business grew 3.1% in net revenue in the January-March '25 quarter to touch £2.63 billion, driven by strong performance in emerging markets such as India and China. Sales in Europe and North America declined 1.7% and 0.9%, respectively, amid reduced consumer reported consolidated net revenue of £3.68 billion for the first India, the company reported a turnover of Rs 9,336 crore in calendar 2024, up 5.4% on year, while profit jumped 22.6% to Rs 2,231 crore, as per RoC Lizol, Harpic and Dettol compete aggressively with HUL's Domex disinfectant cleaner and Lifebuoy anti-germ soap. Both companies had also capitalised on pandemic-induced demand. While Dettol leads the anti-germ protection soap category, Durex trails category leader Mankind Pharma's Manforce in terms of market share, industry executives said, citing NielsenIQ data. Reckitt's India portfolio also includes Mortein mosquito repellent, Moov pain relief cream, Veet hair remover, Air Wick air fresheners and Strepsils lozenges. In its recently released 2024 annual report, Reckitt said it is well placed in the world's most populated country that accounts for 8% of its core net revenue. "We sell through over one million outlets in India and have grown strongly over the past five years. Our manufacturing capability enables us to supply 95% of products locally, helped by the recent doubling of our direct customer coverage," it annual report stated that Reckitt is "confident about growth opportunities in emerging markets such as India, Africa and Latin America, where changing social attitudes are helping to drive higher adoption rates."Collectively, emerging markets represent the largest single area in Reckitt's power brand portfolio, led by the high-growth markets of India and China, it an analyst query on high prices of palm oil, the most crucial ingredient in soaps, Licht said: "We're paying a lot of attention to it, but I don't think that that's going to keep us from being successful." Recent months have seen palm oil prices surging on account of floods in high-producing countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia, resulting in soaps makers such as HUL, Reckitt and Godrej Consumer Products increasing prices.
Time of India
25-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Reckitt Benckiser's rare reflection: India a big growth driver
In a rare acknowledgement of India's strategic importance, Reckitt Benckiser Group Plc 's global chief executive officer Kris Licht said the country stands out as a growth driver even as global economies remain vulnerable to potential shocks. "As we sit here, we fully expect sustained strong volume growth in India and China as we go through this year," Licht told investors at Reckitt's March quarter earnings call late on Wednesday. The £14.2-billion British consumer and healthcare company saw "some really strong volume growth in germ protection ( Dettol ) and intimate wellness ( Durex condoms) spaces" in India". This, Licht said, was powered by "simply strong organic performance". "Our businesses (in India) have very good momentum... We're scaling innovation. And we absolutely expect that to continue," said Licht, who took over the corner office at Reckitt in October 2023. India holds strategic importance for Reckitt, not only due to its large consumer base but also its alignment with public health goals. The company launched its 'Dettol Banega Swachh India' campaign in 2014 to support the government's Swachh Bharat Mission. Since then, Reckitt has leveraged this alignment with the government's campaigns to drive behaviour change to deepen its market penetration to smaller towns and rural areas with lower-priced packs of hygiene brands such as Dettol anti-germ soap and Lizol and Harpic disinfectant cleaners. The company-which has had two Indian global chiefs in Rakesh Kapoor and later Laxman Narasimhan-has also extended each of these brands to premium variants to attract better-off urban consumers. Reckitt Benckiser's core like-for-like business grew 3.1% in net revenue in the January-March '25 quarter to touch £2.63 billion, driven by strong performance in emerging markets such as India and China. Sales in Europe and North America declined 1.7% and 0.9%, respectively, amid reduced consumer spending. Reckitt reported consolidated net revenue of £3.68 billion for the first quarter. In India, the company reported a turnover of Rs 9,336 crore in calendar 2024, up 5.4% on year, while profit jumped 22.6% to Rs 2,231 crore, as per RoC filings. Reckitt's Lizol, Harpic and Dettol compete aggressively with HUL's Domex disinfectant cleaner and Lifebuoy anti-germ soap. Both companies had also capitalised on pandemic-induced demand. While Dettol leads the anti-germ protection soap category, Durex trails category leader Mankind Pharma 's Manforce in terms of market share, industry executives said, citing NielsenIQ data. Reckitt's India portfolio also includes Mortein mosquito repellent, Moov pain relief cream, Veet hair remover, Air Wick air fresheners and Strepsils lozenges. In its recently released 2024 annual report, Reckitt said it is well placed in the world's most populated country that accounts for 8% of its core net revenue. "We sell through over one million outlets in India and have grown strongly over the past five years. Our manufacturing capability enables us to supply 95% of products locally, helped by the recent doubling of our direct customer coverage," it said. The annual report stated that Reckitt is "confident about growth opportunities in emerging markets such as India, Africa and Latin America, where changing social attitudes are helping to drive higher adoption rates." Collectively, emerging markets represent the largest single area in Reckitt's power brand portfolio, led by the high-growth markets of India and China, it said. Addressing an analyst query on high prices of palm oil, the most crucial ingredient in soaps, Licht said: "We're paying a lot of attention to it, but I don't think that that's going to keep us from being successful." Recent months have seen palm oil prices surging on account of floods in high-producing countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia, resulting in soaps makers such as HUL, Reckitt and Godrej Consumer Products increasing prices.
The Guardian
23-04-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Reckitt Benckiser shares fall as investors prepare for Trump tariff impact
Shares in the maker of Dettol and Nurofen slid 6% on Wednesday as investors braced for the impact of Trump's tariffs. The FTSE 100 consumer goods business Reckitt Benckiser, which is based in Slough and makes products including Durex condoms and Harpic bleach, said it was 'closely monitoring' the evolving situation around trade tariffs and possible effects on its supply chain. But its share price dropped 6% in early trading on Wednesday after senior management warned volatile market conditions could affect the sale of its lagging cleaning products business. The group has put its Essential Home division, which includes brands such as Cillit Bang and Air Wick, up for sale. Net revenue in this part of the business dropped by 7% on a like-for-like basis in the first three months of the year to £482m, compared with a 3% rise in the core part of the group. The chief executive, Kris Licht, told analysts in an investor call that while the company was encouraged by buyer interest expressed in the business, 'we recognise that market conditions may impact this timeframe'. Chris Beckett, of the fund management business Quilter Cheviot, noted that difficult market conditions could make it difficult for potential buyers to raise money to buy the business, 'especially for private equity firms trying to raise finance in the current bond market'. Elsewhere, the chemicals maker Croda's shares jumped by as much as 9% on Wednesday after it said it would pass higher costs associated with tariffs on to its customers. The FTSE 100 company, which sells chemicals to other businesses for a huge variety of consumer goods such as skin cream, shampoo and suntan lotion, said that while its local manufacturing and procurement model was well balanced and helped limit its direct exposure to tariffs, it would apply a 'tariff surcharge' to cover any further incremental costs. The comments, combined with a reported 9% rise in revenue at constant currency to £442m, sent Croda to the top of the FTSE 100's biggest risers on Wednesday. The chemical specialist said it recognised that the political and economic environment was now 'less predictable', but it still expected to report an annual adjusted pre-tax profit between £265m and £295m this year. Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion While big companies are scrambling to keep up with the potential costs and changing parameters of Trump's trade war, the US administration has now suggested that its tariff standoff with China could de-escalate. On Tuesday, Trump told a White House news conference that high tariffs on goods from China would 'come down substantially, but it won't be zero'. It helped spark a broad rally in global stock markets, with the US blue chip S&P 500 index rising by 2.5%. The rally also spread to Europe on Wednesday, with the UK's FTSE 100 index up 1.4%.
