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<ul><li>FMCG giant HUL’s shares reported a decline of over 6% on Thursday.</li><li>This comes a day after the company reported a 2.33% decline in consolidated net profit in Q2.</li><li>The stock tanked 6.59% to ₹2,483.95 on the NSE.</li></ul>Shares of FMCG major <keyword id="20002610" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hindustan-Unilever" source="keywords">Hindustan Unilever</keyword> Ltd (HUL) on Thursday tumbled over 6% after the firm reported a 2.33% decline in consolidated net profit for the second quarter ended in September. The stock tanked 6.59% to ₹2,483.95 on the NSE. The stock emerged as the biggest laggard among the Sensex and Nifty firms during the morning trade. Hindustan Unilever Ltd on Wednesday reported a 2.33% decline in consolidated net profit at ₹2,595 crore for the second quarter ended in September 2024, impacted by moderation in demand from the urban market. The company had logged a net profit of ₹2,657 crore in the July-September quarter a year ago, HUL said in a regulatory filing. However, revenue from product sales was up 2.36% at ₹15,703 crore in the September quarter, from ₹15,340 crore in the year-ago period, HUL which owns power brands such as Surf, Rin, Lux, Pond's, Lifebuoy, Lakme, Brooke Bond, Lipton and Horlicks said. "In the September quarter, <keyword id="21419477" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="FMCG-demand" source="keywords">FMCG demand</keyword> witnessed moderating growth in urban markets, while rural continued to recover gradually. In this context, we delivered a competitive and profitable performance," HUL CEO and Managing Director Rohit Jawa said. HUL reported an underlying sales growth of 2% and underlying volume growth of 3%. Total expenses were at ₹12,581 crore in the September quarter, up 3.03% year-on-year. HUL's total income, which includes other income, was up 2.14% to ₹16,145 crore in the September quarter of FY25. Addressing an earnings call, HUL CFO Ritesh Tiwari said, "Two thirds of our business we do in urban areas, and one-third we do in rural areas … we are seeing growth in the urban market moderating. We are seeing rural growth recovery is gradual … it impacts all the categories that we have." On the outlook, he said, "In the near term, we expect demand trends to be stable with no further acceleration in pace of growth." In this context, Tiwari said, "Our focus remains on driving competitive volume-led growth, while continuing investments behind our brands and strategy priorities … If commodity prices remain where they are, we expect a low single digit price growth in the near-term." With inputs from PTI. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/webstories/afcons-infrastructure-ipo-gmp-risk-factors-and-all-you-need-to-know/slidelist/114490954.cms">Afcons Infrastructure IPO – GMP, risk factors and all you need to know</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/upi-refund-scam-to-digital-arrest-scam-here-are-most-common-online-scams-in-india/articleshow/114428011.cms">UPI refund to digital arrest scam, here are some online scams you need to be aware of</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/waaree-energies-ipo-allotment-how-to-check-allotment-ipo-gmp-listing-date-and-more/articleshow/114508632.cms">Waaree Energies IPO allotment – How to check allotment, IPO GMP, listing date and more</a>

Hindustan Unilever shares tumble over 6% post Q2 results

New Delhi, <keyword id="20108985" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="hindustan-zinc" source="keywords">Hindustan Zinc</keyword> Ltd (<keyword id="20256739" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="hzl" source="keywords">HZL</keyword>) on Friday posted a 6 per cent decline in consolidated net profit to Rs 2,028 crore during the quarter ended December 2023, dragged by lower income. It had clocked Rs 2,156 crore net profit during the October-December period of the preceding 2022-23 fiscal, the company said in an exchange filing. On a quarter-on-quarter (q-o-q) basis, the company's profit grew 17 per cent as against Rs 1,729 crore in the July-September quarter. During the quarter under review, the company's total income reduced to Rs 7,606 crore from Rs 8,214 crore a year ago. Its expenses were Rs 4,937 crore as against Rs 5,028 crore in the year-ago period. On the company's efforts to reduce carbon emissions, Arun Misra, Chief Executive Officer of HZL, said: "Hindustan Zinc has initiated the deployment of electric and LNG vehicles in its operations for inter-unit movements and finished goods transportation, thereby reducing the scope 3 emissions." Its CFO Sandeep Modi said, the performance "marks the company's fourth consecutive quarter of consistent cost improvement and the lowest cost in the last 10 quarters. We continue to remain focused on cost optimisation, operational efficiencies, working capital management, digital improvements and shareholder value maximisation." HZL's production of mined metal in the quarter rose 8 per cent to 271 kilo tonne (kt) sequentially and 7 per cent up year-on-year (y-o-y), driven by higher ore production at Rampura Agucha and <keyword id="20256741" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sindesar-khurd" source="keywords">Sindesar Khurd</keyword> mines. In the quarter under review, its refined metal production grew 7 per cent to 259 kt sequentially and 1 per cent higher y-o-y. Integrated zinc production in the quarter increased 10 per cent to 203 kt sequentially and declined 4 per cent y-o-y. In the December quarter, production of refined lead fell 1 per cent to 56 kt sequentially but grew 21 per cent y-o-y. Its saleable silver production in the quarter was 197 MT (metric tonne), up 9 per cent q-o-q and 22 per cent y-o-y. <keyword id="20006961" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sharing" source="keywords">Sharing</keyword> an update on the projects, HZL said its fumer and alloy plants are currently under operation after their commissioning in the last quarter, while a new roaster at Debari of 160 ktpa and Hindustan Zinc Fertilisers Private Ltd (HZFPL) of 510 ktpa for main process package is on track. The company generated a cash flow of Rs 2,097 crore during the quarter. Total borrowings outstanding as of December 2023 was Rs 10,111 crore. During the quarter, the company paid a dividend of Rs 2,535 crore. Hindustan Zinc is the world's second largest integrated zinc producer and fifth largest silver producer. The Udaipur-based company holds about 80 per cent of the growing zinc market in the country.

Hindustan Zinc Q3 net profit falls to Rs 2,028 crore

<div type="image" title="Indians are getting fancy, and they don&amp;#39;t mind paying a little extra if it means quality and luxury. Most consumer brands are witnessing an uptick in their premium product segment" msid="115018213" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Indians are getting fancy, and they don&amp;#39;t mind paying a little extra if it means quality and luxury. Most consumer brands are witnessing an uptick in their premium product segment&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> It's time to move over from plain, vanilla budget basics! Indians are no longer looking for “best purchases and value buys under Rs 1,000”—at least not as much as before. <keyword id="19895063" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="india" source="keywords">India</keyword>'s getting fancy, and how! From gold-flaked chocolates to swanky SUVs that look like they’re wheeled straight out of a Bollywood blockbuster, Indian companies are rapidly jazzing up their product lines, even faster than you can say the word "premiumization." But what does this mean for Indian companies and consumers? What is this jazz about premiumization all about? Is it just urban India that’s riding this wave, or has rural India also joined the bandwagon? We decode for you. <h2>What's premium, really?</h2>Imagine you’re eating Pav Bhaji at a roadside thela. Later during the day, you decide to dine out at a fancy, upmarket cafe, only to find Pav Bhaji Fondue on the menu. Same same, but much more expensive—often 5 to 10 times higher—for a little more hygiene and some better ambience! Think of premium products as this fondue. They are a notch up your regular, daily-use products soaps or shampoos, and even cars, all packaged luxuriously, offering just about the right touch of quality. The main differentiator, though, would be the price range. <h2>Driving home premium wellness</h2>A recent report by Nielsen suggests that over 70% of urban Indians are okay with paying a premium for their products. And companies are cashing in on this sentiment like never before. This explains why 58% of new products launched so far this year have been in the premium+ segment, as opposed to just 38% of new launches in regular, traditional trade. Take cars, for instance. Indians are no longer vying for a good old <keyword id="19950117" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="maruti" source="keywords">Maruti</keyword> 800 or <keyword id="20400567" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="alto" source="keywords">Alto</keyword>, traditionally known for their healthy mileage, but are rather happy investing in more swanky features that come along with high-end cars. In October 2024, India’s largest car manufacturer, <keyword id="19909974" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="maruti-suzuki" source="keywords">Maruti Suzuki</keyword>, sold 65,948 units of its compact cars like Swift, WagonR, Dzire, and more. Compared to the year-ago period, which saw sales of 80,662 units, this was an 18% dip. But take a look at their SUV (sport utility vehicle) sales for the same period. Cars like Brezza, Ertiga, and Grand Vitara sold about 70,644 units, a 19% uptick from the sales made in October 2023, i.e. 59,147 units. Simply put, when it comes to cars, Indians are saying the bigger, the better! The same is true for India's second biggest automobile manufacturer, Hyundai. Its SUV lineup made up a staggering 68.2% of the firm's total sales made for October 2024. What's more, SUV demand remained largely consistent across urban and rural markets. <h2>Consumers are inching up</h2>FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) are also riding the premiumization wave, with Indians prioritizing their health and wellness and not bothered about dishing out a few extra bucks for the same! You’ll find no dearth of words like organic, vegan, gluten-free, and sugar-free, peppered generously over every product you’ll see today, be it soaps, juices, or more. No wonder then, sales from premium segments in 2024 make up around 27% of all FMCG sales and even contribute a massive 42% to the sector’s value growth in India. Nielsen report further adds that luxury brands that position themselves at twice the price of their category’s average are even witnessing stellar growth. In fact, for most FMCG brands like Tata Consumer Products, <keyword id="20002610" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="hindustan-unilever" source="keywords">Hindustan Unilever</keyword> (HUL), Dabur, and Nestle, it is this premium segment that is growing much faster than their regular ones. And it's not just about daily-use products; Indians are also taking their celebrations a step over. Spirits manufacturer <keyword id="20125704" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="radico-khaitan" source="keywords">Radico Khaitan</keyword> highlighted that for the first half of 2024, their prestige &amp; above segment made for 88.4% of its net sales value. In the same period, the regular popular segment accounted for just 9.1% of their net sales. From Hindustan Unilever, which saw its premium products grow 30% over the last quarter, to <keyword id="20521971" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="kingfisher" source="keywords">Kingfisher</keyword> beer's parent company, <keyword id="20124009" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="united-breweries" source="keywords">United Breweries</keyword>, whose premium product sales volume jumped by 27% during the quarter as opposed to just a 5% rise in overall volumes, everyone is seemingly taking their lifestyle a notch above. Per the Nielsen report, in 2024, a typical global consumer spends about $13.7k per year. This is set to grow by around 2.4% to $14k as early as next year. Even a report by Goldman Sachs also highlighted a similar trend, noting that India’s affluent class, or those earning over $10,000 (Rs 8,42,694.97), is set to reach 100 million in the next 3 years. And where will this consumer spend? On premium products! <h2>Online shopping shifts from mass to class</h2>Amazon’s Great Indian Shopping Festival, which was live between September 27 and October 29 this year, saw 140 crore customers, more than 85% of whom came from non-metro Indian cities. On the site, there was a 400% spike in sales in premium sales across categories like watches, fragrances, handbags, jewelry, and more. Rival <keyword id="19896939" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="flipkart" source="keywords">Flipkart</keyword> noted a similar trend, recording 1.8x growth in premium beauty and personal care products during the first half of this year. <h2>Dialing in premiumness</h2>The Indian smartphone ecosystem has always been dominated by basic phones, or those entry- and mid-range phones that are priced between Rs 10,000 and Rs 6,000. But that has changed in recent times, with premium smartphones (i.e., those priced over Rs 60,000) registering 20%+ growth in 2024. During the first quarter of this year, sales of mass phones (priced between Rs 10,000 and 20,000) reached 44%, compared to 51% in the year-ago period. But it's all sunny and shiny in the mid-premium (priced between Rs 40,000 and Rs 60,000) and super-premium segments (priced above Rs 60,000). Sales growth has burgeoned by as much as 27% and 86% in these categories, respectively. As India continues its march toward becoming the world's third-largest economy by 2027, the premium party is just getting started. Industry experts predict that premium segments will grow faster than you can say "sustainable organic handcrafted artisanal batch of coffee." So the next time you see someone dropping serious rupees on a fancy bottle of black water that also somehow plays music and tracks their hydration (yes, that's a thing), remember: This is just the trailer. Picture abhi baaki hai, mere dost! Do you have a topic in mind you'd want a simpler explanation for, or insights or experiences to share on personal finance and more? Contact us at businessinsider@timesinternet.in.

Simply Put: From Dal to Dolce—India is loving its luxury life

<keyword id="28423" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="vedanta" source="Orion">Vedanta</keyword> group firm <keyword id="332980" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="hindustan-zinc-ltd" source="Orion">Hindustan Zinc Ltd</keyword> on Wednesday said its board has approved a second interim <keyword id="56600" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="dividend" source="Orion">dividend</keyword> of Rs 6 per equity share for FY24, amounting to Rs 2,535.19 crore. "The board of directors of the company through resolution passed by circulation on Wednesday, December 6, 2023 have approved 2nd interim dividend of Rs 6 per equity share i.e. 300 per cent on face value of Rs 2 per share for the Financial Year 2023-24 amounting to Rs 2,535.19 crores," the company said in a stock exchange filing. The interim dividend will be paid within stipulated timelines, it said. The company had announced its first interim dividend of Rs 7 per share in July this year. <keyword id="720166" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="billionaire-anil-agarwal" source="Orion">Billionaire Anil Agarwal</keyword> is considering a major restructuring of his profitable zinc unit <keyword id="115997" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="hindustan-zinc" source="Orion">Hindustan Zinc</keyword> Ltd to help the Vedanta group reduce its debt. Hindustan Zinc Ltd had earlier said that it could create separate legal entities for its zinc and lead, silver, and recycling businesses to help capitalise on "distinct market positions" and attract investors. A committee of directors will evaluate the options and advise the board, along with external advisers. Hindustan Zinc is world's second largest integrated zinc producer and fifth largest silver producer. The company holds about 80 per cent of the growing zinc market in the country, having its headquarters at <keyword id="42774" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="udaipur" source="Orion">Udaipur</keyword> and zinc, lead mines and smelting complexes spread across Rajasthan. SEE ALSO:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/oneplus-announced-new-flagship-smartphone-oneplus-12-with-up-to-24gb-ram/articleshow/105756057.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/oneplus-announced-new-flagship-smartphone-oneplus-12-with-up-to-24gb-ram/articleshow/105756057.cms" target="_blank">OnePlus 12 debuts with bigger battery, up to 24GB RAM and more</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/sports/webstories/indias-tour-of-south-africa-squads-schedule-where-to-watch-and-more/slidelist/105755174.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/sports/webstories/indias-tour-of-south-africa-squads-schedule-where-to-watch-and-more/slidelist/105755174.cms" target="_blank">India’s tour of South Africa – Squads, schedule, where to watch and more</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/noida-woman-scammed-11-lakh-in-digital-arrest-scam-everything-you-need-to-know/articleshow/105727970.cms">Noida woman scammed ₹11 lakh in digital arrest scam – everything you need to know</a>

Hindustan Zinc board approves dividend of Rs 2,535.19 crore

<ul><li>The Modi government seems to be hurrying to achieve its disinvestment target for FY23. </li><li>As inflation runs rampant and the Indian government’s growth prospects take a hit, managing the <keyword id="6365485" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="fiscal-deficit" source="Orion">fiscal deficit</keyword> could be a prime concern for the government now. </li><li><keyword id="115997" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="hindustan-zinc" source="Orion">Hindustan Zinc</keyword>, a former government company now owned by Anil Agarwal’s Vedanta, is one of the leading companies in zinc, lead, silver and cadmium mining. </li></ul>The Modi government seems to be sprinting towards its ₹65,000 crore disinvestment target for the financial year 2022-23, with a new report claiming that it has approved the offloading its ₹40,000 crore stake in Hindustan Zinc, one of the leading zinc, lead, silver and cadmium mining companies in India. According to a report by <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/stocks/news/govt-approves-stake-sale-in-hindustan-zinc-says-report-stock-rallies-7/articleshow/91784848.cms">ET Now</a>, the government has approved the sale of its 29.5% stake in Hindustan Zinc, which is worth nearly ₹40,000 crore. The stake sale was challenged in the Supreme Court last year, but the court’s verdict cleared the path for the government to pare its holdings. The shares of Hindustan Zinc hit an intraday high of 7%, and as of 3:00 p.m. today (May 25), the stock was up 5%. <div type="image" title="Hindustan Zinc 01_01_22 to 25_05_22." msid="91788875" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Hindustan Zinc share price in 2022&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> However, given the bearish market sentiment, it might be prudent to delay the stake sale. Since the beginning of March, Hindustan Zinc has already lost nearly 13% of its value. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="A sign of things to come?" comment="subhead" text="A sign of things to come?">A sign of things to come?</cmsannotation> Interestingly enough, the government has set a disinvestment target of ₹65,000 crore for FY23. Of this, it has already realized ₹20,560 crore with the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/lic-ipo-check-out-analysts-view-on-whether-to-sell-or-hold-lic-ipo-post-listing/articleshow/91515679.cms">LIC IPO</a> – this is despite cutting down the stake sale from 5% to 3.5%. The LIC stake sale leaves the government with a balance of a little less than ₹40,000 crore – all of which could be realized by offloading its stake in Hindustan Zinc – with more than 10 months left in FY23. The government’s urgency to pare its holdings could be a sign of a bigger problem, which is fiscal deficit. Fiscal deficit refers to a shortfall in the government’s income compared to its spending. The government could be looking at a much higher disinvestment in the current financial year to offset a portion of deficit to keep it within manageable limits. The ET Now report adds that the government could also be looking at paring its stake in consumer goods and tobacco giant ITC. The government currently holds a 7.91% stake in the company, which is worth ₹26,601 crore as of today. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="RBI’s hawkish stance behind government’s change of mind?" comment="subhead" text="RBI’s hawkish stance behind government’s change of mind?">RBI’s hawkish stance behind government’s change of mind?</cmsannotation> With inflation running rampant, India’s central bank <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/indias-central-bank-confirms-another-rate-hike-is-coming-in-june/articleshow/91739640.cms">finally shifted</a> its stance from dovish to hawkish by hiking interest rates – meaning, the Reserve Bank of India thinks inflation is a more immediate concern than growth. A hawkish policy – which is what Das and RBI are following now – suggests that higher interest rates help reduce inflation. A dovish policy, on the other hand, favours expansionary monetary policies with low interest rates to boost demand. In his interview, the RBI governor, Shaktikanta Das underlined that he expects the government to be in a position to manage the current account deficit ‘comfortably’. It’s not clear if Das factored in the government disinvesting to keep the deficit under control, but it is something that should become clearer with time. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/indias-central-bank-confirms-another-rate-hike-is-coming-in-june/articleshow/91739640.cms">India’s central bank confirms another rate hike is coming in June, but promises to soften the blow after the May shocker</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/the-big-boss-of-indias-largest-consumer-company-is-worried-about-stagflation-and-unprecedented-inflation/articleshow/91251341.cms">The big boss of India's largest consumer company is worried about stagflation and unprecedented inflation</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/retail/news/biscuits-ghee-and-hair-oil-to-get-cheaper-after-government-duty-cut-but-after-three-months/articleshow/91784809.cms">Biscuits, ghee and hair oil to get cheaper after government duty cut — but after three months</a>

Modi government’s itch to offload ₹40,000 crore Hindustan Zinc stake hints at a bigger deficit than initially anticipated

<ul><li>Top FMCG companies have cut prices of soap, detergents and hair oils.</li><li>Competition has gone up in the sector after many smaller, regional players making a comeback.</li><li>FMCG players said last quarter that they had to cede some of their market share to smaller players.</li><li>At the time, rise in agri commodity prices is making some of them hike prices of items like coffee and other beverages. </li></ul>After facing the onslaught of smaller and regional players in the last quarter, FMCG majors are on a path to cut prices to boost volumes as well sales. This pricing action is being seen mostly in categories that contribute large volumes and with a high share of unorganized players — like soaps, detergents, hair oils and edible oils. <keyword id="6365619" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="hindustan-unilever" source="Orion">Hindustan Unilever</keyword> has taken price cuts to the tune of 9-10% in soaps, <keyword id="6361491" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="procter-gamble" source="Orion">Procter &amp; Gamble</keyword> too cut <keyword id="443581" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="detergent-prices" source="Orion">detergent prices</keyword> by 11%. <keyword id="4283144" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="patajali" source="Orion">Patajali</keyword> slashed its soap as well as hair oil prices, as per a recent report by Kotak Institutional Equities. Top FMCG players said at the end of the April-June quarter that they had to cede some of their market share to smaller players. As per Nomura, their impact on market share on organized players is under control as of now, but needs to be watched closely. A lot of these players have shut up during the pandemic, but have ‘mushroomed’ back. “As the raw material prices have come down and have remained stable, there is increased competition from smaller players. Hence, most FMCG companies have undertaken price cuts to pass on the raw material benefits, and at the same time, they have increased ad spending to protect their market share,” Preeyam Tolia, senior research analyst of FMCG at Axis Securities told Business Insider India. Moreso, the volume growth trend has slowed down for most FMCG players due to slower-than-expected growth in the rural areas. Besides, the trend of downtrading had taken over during the era of high inflation last year, when players had to increase their prices. In Q1, even as volume growth remained tepid, the profitability of FMCG companies was high due to softening of prices of certain raw materials. Palm oil prices were down 2% month-on-month and by 26% year-on-year. Copra/coconut oil prices (updated until July 2023) remained in deflation, down 8% month-on-month and by 11% year on year. “Currently crude and palm oil used to make soaps and inputs such as soda ash used in detergents are showing a downward price trend, that is the reason many soap brands have reduced the prices to increase their volume and are passing on the margin benefits to consumers,” said Sraboni Haralalka, executive director at Wodehouse Capital Advisors. Can price cuts help? Most experts believe that the benefits of these price cuts on volume growth can be seen with a lag, in the second half of the current fiscal year. A few however believe volume growth itself might not be enough for companies that have been banking on pricing-led growth in the last few quarters. “Most other categories did not resort to any pricing action (apart from soaps, detergents, hair-oil, edible-oils), leading to anniversarying of pricing and lesser contribution to overall value growth. We expect no or negligible contribution from pricing in coming quarters; optically lowering overall value growth for the sector,” said Nomura. Added to that, the ability to take a next round of price cuts might also be lowered, experts believe as the prices of crude are inching up again. While crude oil prices were down by 14%, they have jumped 8% on a month-on-month basis – showing that the trend might see a back up. “We must look at the impact of the recent increase in crude oil prices. Any further increase in crude oil price would delay the price cuts and, hence, volume recovery,” says Tolia. Shampoo, coffee &amp; toothpastes get pricier While tea and biscuits prices have remained steady, the prices of coffee have inched up due to hardening agri commodity prices — especially in the case of cereals and milk in the last few months. “Prices remained stable in dairy except for Nestle, which increased the prices of its milk powder and curd by 2% and 5%, respectively. Nestle took another round of around 3-5% of price increases in its baby food portfolio, taking cumulative increases to 6-11% in the past six months,” said Kotak Institutional Equities. Health food drinks witnessed price rises of around 2-8% by Abbott, Danone and Mondelez. “Agri-commodities products have surged up. Food companies such as Nestle and Britannia may either increase product prices or take a hit on their margins and focus on volume growth,” said Haralalka. Products like confectionery, toothpastes and shampoos also saw price hikes from players like Vicco, HUL, Dabur and P&amp;G. Also price rises are seen in face and body washes, deodorants, air fresheners, men’s grooming and feminine hygiene – especially in areas where end consumer purchasing power is high. The margins in personal care products are higher and consumers don’t downgrade as easily as they do in the laundry or hair oil segments. The year of FY24 is expected to be a year of volume growth as FMCG companies are fighting to bring back their ‘small pack’ consumers. At the same time, inflation on the horizon is presenting a very cloudy picture for companies – making them re-think their pricing strategy in a way that ensures volume and margins hold steady.

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Hindustan Unilever shares tumble over 6% post Q2 results

BI India Bureau

Hindustan Zinc Q3 net profit falls to Rs 2,028 crore

PTI

Simply Put: From Dal to Dolce—India is loving its luxury life

Ira Alok Puranik

Hindustan Zinc board approves dividend of Rs 2,535.19 crore

PTI

Modi government’s itch to offload ₹40,000 crore Hindustan Zinc stake hints at a bigger deficit than initially anticipated

Rounak Jain

Soap Opera: FMCG players kick off price war to bring back what’s lost

Katya Naidu

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