Emami has posted a muted 3.6 per cent growth in net profit despite a 6.6 per cent rise in topline in the fourth quarter. Profit after tax stood at ₹146.75 crore compared with ₹141.62 crore a year ago, while revenue from the operations rose from ₹835.95 crore to ₹891.24 crore.

Domestic and international business grew 8 per cent each, even as domestic volumes went up by 6.4 per cent.

Emami’s expenditure on advertising and sales promotion was a significant contributor to expenses. In January-March quarter, the company spent ₹180.19 crore, 38.9 per cent more than the ₹129.66 crore it did in Q4FY23.

For the full year, Emami’s revenue went up 5 per cent to ₹3,578 crore from ₹3,405 crore in FY23. However, PAT grew 13 per cent to ₹724.14 crore from ₹627.41 crore in FY23.

Harsh V Agarwal, vice-chairman and MD, said, “We expect our core brands to deliver a healthy growth going forward, aided by recovery in rural, a strong summer and forecast of a good monsoon.”

Mohan Goenka, vice-chairman and whole time director, said, “Our outlook is positive for the near and mid-term.”

Bata net falls 3%

Bata India on Wednesday reported a consolidated net profit of ₹63.64 crore for the fourth quarter ended March 31, marginally down 3.01 per cent from ₹65.62 crore a year ago.

Total income stood at ₹819.76 crore, up 3.96 per cent from ₹788.52 crore a year ago. The board of directors recommended a final dividend of ₹12 per share.

“Bata India navigated well the unforeseen sluggishness in the market... Our strategies helped us defend margins. We added 24 franchise stores in the quarter, primarily in tier 3–5 towns,” said Gunjan Shah, MD and CEO.

Bata India announced the appointment of Deepika Deepti as the head of marketing.