Curry competition to raise funds for Birmingham charity.

Dave Woodhall catches most of the Moseley Folk & Arts Festival.

War and Craig Charles to perform in the park.

The Friends of Moseley Road Baths are dismayed to learn of Birmingham City Council’s decision not to submit a bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for work to the Baths building, which would secure its long term future.

Neal Martin Williams has a new photo exhibition opening in Birmingham, says our arts staff

The benefits of short food chains and local produce were the focus of an event on Wednesday 3 July organised by Coventry University’s Centre for Agroecology and Food Security

Richard Lutz on a new book about the riots that rocked Birmingham 35 years ago.

Jessica Harris is enchanted by a half-term family performance at the MAC.

Opportunities for West Midlands theatre makers.

Richard Lutz survives another week that was...

Comic and TV presenter tells us about touring and surviving.

Simon Hale listens to the CBSO and their guest conductor.

Simon Hale sees the CBSO on form.

Richard Lutz heads for a city break.  

Kings Heath’s Hare and Hounds was the venue last night for the first appearance in Birmingham of Police Dog Hogan

Richard Lutz reports on a step forward in opening the Moseley/Kings Heath train line.

Young people feel ignored by power, but would still turn out to vote.

Richard Lutz watches democracy go down the pan.

The Heath Bookshop opening in Kings Heath.

Simon Hale battles traffic to get to the Alex.

Jessica Harris is enchanted by a family attraction at the Midland Arts Centre.

“Udaan’s financial performance for FY23-24 reflects its commitment to building a robust, profitable and resilient business. With revenue reaching INR 5,700 crores for FY23-24, we have made significant strides toward profitability, reducing EBITDA burn by 40% year-on-year to ~INR 900 crores,” said Kiran Thadimarri, SVP Finance, Udaan in a LinkedIn post.

"The government has come up with Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), an open network for digital commerce that is helping even the bigger e-commerce businesses," said Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Amazon's delivery glasses, the people warned, could be shelved or delayed indefinitely if they do not work as envisioned, or for financial or other reasons. The sources said they may take years to perfect. "We are continuously innovating to create an even safer and better delivery experience for drivers," an Amazon spokesperson said, when asked about the driver eyeglasses. "We otherwise don't comment on our product roadmap."

While revenue fell sharply, it managed to reduce loss to a third at Rs 167 crore compared with Rs 503 crore the year before, according to the company’s financials. Dealshare’s revenue from the sale of traded goods decreased by 74.7% to Rs 495.8 crore in FY24, while its marketing services income contracted 44.3% to Rs 3.3 crore.

Wakefit cofounder Chaitanya Ramalingegowda attributed the increase in revenue to the company’s focus on strengthening its omnichannel presence, with some stores reaching maturity and a new wave of outlets opening, along with the benefits of an automated mattress factory.

Rentomojo reported a 60% rise in operating revenue to Rs 193 crore in FY24. Controlled rise in expenses during the year saw net profit surge more than threefold to Rs 22 crore last fiscal from Rs 6 crore in FY23.

TTK Prestige has promoted Venkatesh Vijayaraghavan to managing director. Venkatesh, who was previously CEO, takes over from Chandru Kalro. The company expects to grow under Vijayaraghavan's leadership, focusing on consumer delight and innovative products. Venkatesh has held leadership roles at Cavinkare and Airtel before joining TTK Prestige.

Borosil plans to invest Rs 250 crore for expansion and capacity augmentation to meet the demand, in which it intends to invest about Rs 150 crore on a new plant in Gujarat for Borosil Ltd, which is in the business of products such as glassware and cookware, said Kheruka. Besides, at its Jaipur unit, where Borosil has already invested Rs 450 crore to expand the production capacity, it has plans to invest Rs 100 crore for debottlenecking to improve efficiency and increase capacity further.

Godrej Interio aims for a 10 per cent contribution from e-commerce sales by fiscal-end. The company is accelerating digital transformation efforts, experiencing significant online sales growth and expanding reach across 17,200 pin codes. It introduces AI-based 'Visual Search' and an integrated dealer network to enhance customer experience and operational efficiency.

Sheela Foam, maker of Sleepwell and Kurl-on mattresses, reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 9 crore on revenues of Rs 813 crore in Q2 FY25. The company saw a 32% year-on-year revenue increase, driven by a 19% rise in mattress volume.

Eureka Forbes reported an 83.2% YoY rise in Q2 net profit to Rs 46.67 crore, with revenues up 27.6% to Rs 672.87 crore. Growth was driven by product innovation, increased marketing, and early festive season demand.

Parag Milk Foods reported a 15.9% rise in consolidated net profit, reaching Rs 29.21 crore in the second quarter ending September 2024. This compares to Rs 25.19 crore during the same period the previous year. The company saw a 10% volume growth and a 9% value growth. Total revenue from operations increased by 9.2% to Rs 871.

Pernod Ricard India Pvt Ltd (PRI) has reported an overall 6.9 per cent increase in its revenue from operations for FY24, and its profit rose 20.9 per cent to Rs 1,620.58 crore, according to the Registrar of Companies data accessed by business intelligence platform Tofler.

Coca-Cola India's consolidated profit plummeted by 41.82% to Rs 420.29 crore in FY24, despite a 4.24% increase in revenue, reaching Rs 4,713.38 crore. The company's advertising and sales promotion expenses surged by 35.47% to Rs 1,520.21 crore, while royalties paid to its US parent company also rose.

Samsung India Electronics' revenue grew by a mere 4% in FY24, reaching Rs 102,626 crore, marking its slowest growth in eight years. This slowdown, largely attributed to a stagnant smartphone market and heightened competition, is believed to be behind recent layoffs and cost-cutting measures.

Indian consumer electronics brand Elista plans to expand globally. The company aims to generate Rs 1,500 crore in revenue by 2026. Elista will expand its presence in over 35 countries in the next two years. The brand recently entered the Tanzanian market.

“We have been able to grow a little from 15.4% to 16.7% in H1. But this is coming more from the operational efficiencies point of view. And also a very little from probably I can say, there is an advantage currently where the raw material prices are at most low. This is the advantage we have been able to get in H1. ”

​​Santosh Raveshia, Managing Director, DOMS Industries Limited said, "As we conclude FY24, we are pleased to report on a period marked by significant achievements and strategic initiatives that have reinforced our strong position in the stationery and art materials market. We continued seeing positive business traction resulting in robust sales growth coupled with further elevation of margins, reflecting upon the strength of the ‘DOMS’ Brand to connect with its consumers."

Hugo Boss reported third-quarter operating profit slightly above expectations, but acknowledged it won't achieve its 2025 revenue and profit growth targets due to weak demand. Despite cost-cutting measures, the luxury fashion brand faces challenges from cautious consumer spending and a difficult market, particularly in China.

The Temasek and SoftBank-backed company’s operating margins also grew significantly, with Lenskart clocking an Ebitda of Rs 856 crore in FY24, against Rs 403 crore in the previous fiscal. In an interview with ET in October, Lenskart’s founder and chief executive officer Peyush Bansal had said the company is making a $200-million investment in its new manufacturing facility in southern India.

Kalyan Jewellers saw a 3.3% dip in consolidated net profit, reaching Rs 130.32 crore in Q2 FY25, compared to the same period last year. Despite this, revenue from operations rose to Rs 6,065.4 crore, contrasting with Rs 4,414.53 crore in Q2 FY24. Ramesh Kalyanaraman, executive director of the company said, "We recorded SSSG in excess of 20 per cent for the Diwali minus 30 days period when compared to the base year. ​​We are upbeat about the ongoing wedding season across the country and hope to end the calendar year on a very strong note."​​​​

Grooming products maker Gillette India Ltd on Monday reported a 43.5 per cent rise in profit to Rs 133.01 crore for the quarter ended September 2024, led by a broad-based growth. The company, which follows the July-June financial year, had reported a profit of Rs 92.69 crore in the corresponding quarter of the preceding year, according to a BSE filing from Gillette India.

Revenue from operations in the reporting period rose 24% year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 1,875 crore. The company posted an EBITDA growth of 29% YoY to Rs 104 crore in the reporting quarter, while margins improved 18 bps to 5.5%.

FirstCry’s IPO size will be the same, as per the IPO papers. It intends to raise $218 million (about Rs 1,815 crore) in primary funding through issuance of new shares and divestment of 54 million shares from existing investors.

Jammbo, founded in 2023, presently has about 50 products in its portfolio, focusing on ride-on battery toys such as electric cars and bikes. It aims to expand its portfolio to over 200 products by the end of the current fiscal year. The startup has set up its global presence by entering the UAE market. Further, it plans to expand to the U.S. and the U.K. markets this fiscal.

FirstCry reported a 15% increase in operating revenue to Rs 6,481 crore and reduced losses by 34% in FY24. The Pune-based firm's international business, which is seeing faster growth than domestic operations, reported a revenue of Rs 753 crore, growing by over 50%. The firm plans to use a significant portion of its IPO proceeds for expansion in Saudi Arabia.

Floods in the UAE and early Eid, which saw festival season purchases being advanced to early April, hit order volumes for Brainbees Solutions, the parent firm of the baby and mother care product retailer. However, order volumes are now back on track, said CEO Supam Maheshwari.

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