Five things that moved in Indian consumer business on Friday, in plain words.
1. HUL spends more as its stock hits a low
On Friday, Hindustan Unilever filed its Capital Markets Day plan: productive capex rises to 3% of turnover from about 2%, which on FY26 sales of Rs 63,763 crore is roughly Rs 640 crore more a year. The money goes to male grooming, masstige skincare, protein, hydration, vitamins and ready-to-drink, funded by 500 basis points of internal savings. June-quarter revenue grew 10%, the best in 13 quarters, but margin slipped 40 bps to 23% and the stock is at a 52-week low, down 26% in a year. HUL is answering a falling share price by spending more where it is the challenger. (BW Retail World)
2. Foreign e-commerce gets inventory, for exports only
On September 2, the finance ministry amended FEMA rules to let foreign-funded e-commerce companies hold their own inventory, provided every unit is made in India and exported. The ban on owned inventory for Indian customers stays. Goods must be of Indian origin, shipped under the Foreign Trade Policy, with proceeds reported under FEMA, checked transaction by transaction. Amazon and Flipkart have asked for the inventory model for a decade; they now have it with one word attached. The platform becomes a buyer from small factories and a shipper to the world, and the open question is how long the export warehouse and the domestic warehouse stay separate. (BW Retail World)
3. SoftBank sold Rs 1,650 crore of Meesho
SoftBank sold 8 crore Meesho shares, a 1.7% stake, at Rs 206.30 on Friday, a 1.6% discount, for Rs 1,650 crore. Buyers were Franklin Templeton, Societe Generale, Fidelity, Manulife, HDFC Life, Goldman Sachs and the sovereign funds of Kuwait, Oman and Norway. It follows Y Combinator (Rs 970 crore), Elevation and Peak XV (Rs 975 crore each) and Fidelity (Rs 988 crore) since June, about Rs 5,500 crore in all, and the stock is still up 40% in six months. The register is moving from venture funds that need exits to institutions that will judge the Rs 133 crore quarterly loss. (Inc42)
4. EV registrations fell 10% in August
Vahan data shows 2,98,048 electric vehicles registered in August against 3,32,274 in July. Electric two-wheelers fell to 1,83,077 from 2,05,640 and electric cars to 30,424 from 34,512; only buses and goods carriers rose. EV share slipped to 10.7% of two-wheelers from 11.2%, and to 7.6% of cars from 8.1%. August is festive stocking month and the overall market grew, so EVs took a smaller slice of a bigger pie. TVS, Bajaj and Ather led two-wheelers, Tata held 43% of electric cars. One month is not a trend; both segments losing share together is a signal. (EVreporter)
5. A sneaker brand with four models raised Rs 100 crore
Bengaluru sneaker brand Comet closed a Rs 100 crore Series B led by Verlinvest, with Elevation Capital and Nexus adding money and angels from Urban Company, Snap and Bhaane. Founded in 2023, Comet sells four shoe models and plans eight by end-2027, with 10 stores this month and 20 by the end of FY27. Its co-founder says the stores beat the athleisure category in every market. Sneakers in India are Nike, Adidas and Puma on top and Campus and Bata at volume; this is a bet that fit and trial in a store beat a listing. The question is which runs out first, models or footfall. (BW Retail World)
Read today’s full edition, with the deeper paragraphs on each story, here: https://theinsightlabs.in/daily/2026-09-05
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