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Tata Group-owned Jaguar Land Rover's CEO Adrian Mardell to step down, successor to be announced soon

Tata Group-owned Jaguar Land Rover's CEO Adrian Mardell to step down, successor to be announced soon

Mint2 days ago
Jaguar Land Rover Chief Executive Officer Adrian Mardell is leaving the maker of luxury sport utility vehicles, as it grapples with higher US tariffs and a controversial makeover of the Jaguar brand.
'Adrian Mardell has expressed his desire to retire from JLR after three years as CEO and 35 years with the company,' a spokesperson said in a statement. 'His successor will be announced in due course.'
The company, owned by India's Tata Motors Ltd., was among a number of carmakers to withhold profit guidance at the height of the US tariff uncertainty. JLR, which makes the Range Rover and Land Rover SUVs, does not have any US factories.
A video last year teasing Jaguar's revamp as an electric-only brand received intense criticism. Jaguar isn't making any cars until the new lineup is ready.
The CEO role has also recently changed hands at several other European carmakers, including Renault SA, Stellantis NV and Volvo Car AB.
Jaguar Land Rover joined a growing list of carmakers holding back from providing profit guidance, as US President Donald Trump's higher tariffs continue to wreak havoc on the industry.
The British maker of luxury sport utility vehicles 'continues to evaluate the impact of global challenges' and will provide an update at its investor day on June 16, it said in a statement accompanying its annual results. The company normally provides a profit outlook for its new financial year at this stage.
Like other automakers, JLR, owned by India's Tata Motors Ltd., is grappling with the financial impact of Trump's tariff chaos. Earlier Tuesday, Nissan Motor Co. also decided against giving a projection, following similar moves by European car companies such as Mercedes-Benz Group AG and Stellantis NV.
JLR, which does not have any US factories, had paused shipments to the country in April after Trump's first tariff announcements, before resuming exports this month.
Despite the UK striking a deal last week with the US to allow 100,000 British vehicles to be imported into the country at a 10% duty, that's still higher than the 2.5% rate that existed before Trump's initial announcements. JLR's Defender model is made in Slovakia and still subject to the higher 25% import duty.
JLR will look at ways to mitigate the impact of higher tariffs, Chief Executive Officer Adrian Mardell said on a call with reporters. Mardell declined to say whether price rises were among those measures. 'We'll wait and see, and reflect before we act,' he said. It remains unclear when the lower UK rate will come into effect, the CEO said.
Higher tariffs will have some implication on demand, though premium cars are expected to weather higher levies better, Tata Motors' Chief Financial Officer PB Balaji said on a call.
JLR, which accounts for around two-thirds of its Indian parent's sales, will look to other regions, including the UK and newer markets, to mitigate tariff impact. 'We are very clear we will do everything in our hands to drive growth,' Balaji said. JLR will need to keep a close eye on cash and costs, Balaji said.
While JLR declined to provide guidance for this financial year, Tata Motors reported profit that beat expectations last quarter. Net income fell 51% — slightly less than expected — to 84.7 billion rupees ($992 million) in the fiscal fourth quarter ended March 31. Revenue matched expectations at 1.2 trillion rupees. Tata Motors also announced a dividend of 6 rupees per share.
Profit was boosted by higher volumes at JLR, with the British unit posting a 32% increase in pretax profit to £875 million ($1.2 billion). Still, JLR's revenue decreased 2.5% to £7.7 billion. Tata's passenger vehicle segment revenue fell 13% and its commercial vehicles sales declined 0.5%.
JLR will also benefit from lower tariffs in India. In another landmark trade deal, the South Asian nation will lower duties on cars made in the UK, including hybrids and EVs, to as low as 10% from a prevailing tariff of up to 110% over a period of time.
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
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Once a retail empire, Carrefour struggles to win back investors
Once a retail empire, Carrefour struggles to win back investors

Hindustan Times

time2 minutes ago

  • Hindustan Times

Once a retail empire, Carrefour struggles to win back investors

(Bloomberg) -- Carrefour SA pioneered hypermarkets in France and sold the brand around the world in an ambitious expansion that started more than five decades ago, reaching a market value that was once higher than that of luxury-goods empire LVMH. French retailer Carrefour's fortunes have waned as the chain struggles to compete in its cut-throat home market and it retreats from overseas. (Representational photo) = (pexels) Since then, Carrefour's fortunes have waned as the chain struggles to compete in its cut-throat home market and it retreats from overseas. Its business is worth a fraction of LVMH's, the current global flag-bearer for French business, and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Alexandre Bompard is struggling to convince investors that he can propel it through a transformation. Carrefour shares hit a 32-year low in June after JPMorgan Chase & Co. placed the stock on negative catalyst watch and downgraded its estimates. Bompard responded by offloading flagging operations in Italy, and a better-than-expected sales print contributed to an uptick in shares. But that was quickly replaced by concerns over the grocer's future after years of stagnating profits. Investors are still asking the same question of Bompard from when he took the helm eight years ago - can he spur growth at Carrefour, when many previous CEOs have failed? Plenty of observers bet he can't. Carrefour is among the most-shorted grocery chains in Europe, with shares out on loan at 6% of the free float as of July 24, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. The stock is still down about 10% this year, and in the last two decades it's the only major European grocer to provide a negative return. 'We are far from assuming this turnaround with the trends we see and in the context of the mixed track record of the company,' JPMorgan analyst Borja Olcese said in a note after the earnings last week. Despite the poor share performance, Bompard, who answers to shareholders including the billionaire Moulin family heirs and the descendants of late Brazilian businessman Abilio Diniz, is sticking around with the board intending to renew his mandate next year. Global Footprint Carrefour Chief Financial Officer Matthieu Malige said a strategic review still has plenty of scope and the company isn't ruling out selling its Polish business, which some analysts say is loss-making. 'There are many situations including the one in Poland that are being reviewed,' he said in an interview this week. The sale in Italy confirmed how little value was left in Carrefour's fifth biggest market, with the grocer paying the new owner, Italian food company NewPrinces SpA, €240 million ($277 million) to take it off its hands. Carrefour's expansion since the 1970s left it with a footprint in more than 40 countries, many of them underperforming. Part of the company's challenges lies in its dependence on the hypermarkets that sell everything from fresh fruit to clothes and washing machines at a time when shoppers prefer online purchases, especially for non-food items. Home and electrical products account for about 10% of sales, while for French rival Leclerc the category is 5% and for British supermarket J Sainsbury Plc it's 3%, according to a Bernstein report. Last year Carrefour acquired 55 more hypermarkets, raising concerns for some analysts about Bompard's strategy. 'They still need to fix the core basics of being a food retailer in terms of price and format and product,' said William Woods, an analyst at Bernstein. Challenges at Home France is particularly difficult to operate in as the majority of food retailers are private or cooperatives, which aren't bound by the same shareholder expectations. 'You're fighting against independent players who are playing a totally different game, can make it with smaller margins and have different ways to make a living, such as as renting part of their real estate into malls,' said Gilles Guibout, head of European equities at AXA IM. Unlike other countries, the French government polices relationships with suppliers to ensure prices are kept low for consumers while pushing retailers to pay more to farmers. Other major grocers have boosted their business through online delivery but Carrefour has been slower to this trend. It also doesn't have a tight operating model to allow it to compete aggressively on price with the likes of market leader Leclerc, according to analysts. Still, the picture is looking brighter as consumers recover from a period of hyperinflation and restore their purchasing power, Carrefour's Malige said. Profitability is increasing, online delivery is rapidly growing and a strategy to switch hypermarkets into a franchise model is bearing fruit, he added. Regional Deals Carrefour recently entered a buying alliance with France's fourth-biggest grocer, Cooperative U, to cut costs in Europe, but it's unclear how effective this will be after similar deals including with UK's Tesco Plc were shortlived. Meanwhile, failed mergers have been a thorn in the side of Bompard. The French government effectively blocked a $20 billion takeover proposal by Canadian retailer Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. in 2021. Rival French grocer Auchan considered a potential offer multiple times, though a deal has never materialized. Bernard Arnault, the billionaire CEO of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE, sold off his remaining 5.7% stake in Carrefour after the Couche-Tard talks collapsed. It was an embarrassment for Arnault who sold at a €16 per share level after taking a holding in 2007, when prices were around €47 a share. Shrinking Value Carrefour's market value has shrunk to around €9 billion, which is less than the deal it struck to takeover rival Promodes in 1999 when it was in peak expansion mode among the world's largest retailers. As recently as 2009, Carrefour was just as valuable as LVMH, but the luxury giant now is worth €231 billion. Despite the board's backing for Bompard, some investors are voicing discontent. Activist Whitelight held a short position in the grocer last year but is now long, betting on a new takeover. 'What we need is a turnaround CEO who can really focus on raising the profitability of supermarkets' and 'take a look, asset by asset, on the hypermarkets,' said Kevin Romanteau, Whitelight Capital's founder. --With assistance from Lisa Pham, James Cone and Tara Patel. More stories like this are available on ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.

Small cars and two-wheelers face demand pain: Sudip Bandyopadhyay
Small cars and two-wheelers face demand pain: Sudip Bandyopadhyay

Time of India

time3 minutes ago

  • Time of India

Small cars and two-wheelers face demand pain: Sudip Bandyopadhyay

Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads ET Now: Let us talk about the auto space because today all eyes have been on the entire auto sales numbers. So far, we have numbers coming in from a lot of players and so far, the only thing that we seeing below estimates as of now is the M&M tractor segment and what has beaten estimates is M&M Auto, Ashok Leyland, TVS Motors, and Tata Motors CV. So, largely mixed set of numbers coming in so far because a lot of them are in line as well. What is your take on the kind of auto sales numbers we have seen and how have they fared versus your expectations? ET Now: Why we are talking about pharma, Sharan just said that Trump is actually doing everything he has promised and earlier he has also at least warned the street about a 200% of tariff. To what extent do you think that could actually turn to fruition, anything that can happen on that front, where are you seeing the impact on our pharma sector back home? Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Group Chairman, Inditrade Capital , says the small cars as well as two-wheeler there is a challenge, and we know that, there was a demand constraints and everybody was talking about that. We are hoping that festive season, post monsoon things will pretty much it is in line with the expectation I would say, at least that is what we were pencilling in. We were reasonably sure that the commercial vehicle numbers would be in line and better and improving and that is pretty much what the Ashok Leyland numbers shows. Even if you look at Eicher Motors , their commercial vehicle part does show promise and improvement. As far as domestic two-wheeler sales are concerned, obviously, it is subdued. Look at the Bajaj numbers. They are really bad. Of course, Bajaj has a fantastic export performance which takes care and that is why the overall numbers for Bajaj still looks better. But the small cars as well as two-wheeler there is a challenge, and we know that, there was a demand constraints and everybody was talking about that. We are hoping that festive season, post monsoon things will improve. We will have to wait and watch, that is pretty much what it is. As things stand today, there is a problem as far as demand for small cars as well as two one thing is very sure that as long as Mr Trump is the president, volatility is the order of the day and we have to be bracing ourselves for that. Every day there is something new and some new tweet comes in or some communication, an interview comes in which kind of rattles the market and that is the order of the day. As far as pharma is concerned, putting a tariff 200% or otherwise is not a viable proposition for us and the consumers which Trump is trying to protect. So, he will not venture there. But yesterday's and today's initiative where he has written to the pharma company CEOs to bring down the prices in US, that is a threat definitely and some of the Indian companies who have large business in US definitely will be impacted. If he carries out some other measure, some other punitive measure, or some other steps he takes to ensure that his communication is adhered to, that is a matter of big concern and worry. So, under these circumstances, and this view I have been maintaining for some time, it is better to be a little careful about companies having significant exposure in the US market and focus on companies who have less or no exposure as far as US markets are concerned. So, we were just talking about Mankind Pharma , that is one company which has got 95% of the sales in India and results were decent. So, one can focus on companies like this who have got a significant domestic presence and limited US presence.

US-based Indian founder calls 80-hour workweek a ‘baseline,' says without 14+ hours a day, 'you won't make it'
US-based Indian founder calls 80-hour workweek a ‘baseline,' says without 14+ hours a day, 'you won't make it'

Time of India

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  • Time of India

US-based Indian founder calls 80-hour workweek a ‘baseline,' says without 14+ hours a day, 'you won't make it'

Neha Suresh, an Indian entrepreneur in San Francisco, ignited a debate with her tweet about long work hours. Her view on 80-hour weeks drew both support and criticism. Some people admired her dedication. Others questioned the sustainability and impact on mental health. The discussion highlights the ongoing tension between hard work and well-being in today's work culture. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads The Internet Weighs In: Passion or Pressure? Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Old Argument, New Voices: Is Long-Hour Hustle the Only Way? Is It Really the Hours Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Founders Can Grind, But What About Teams? The Middle Ground? Drive With Boundaries A brief, silent clip showing two founders working side by side in a minimalist home office may not scream controversy — but in today's age of hustle culture discourse, it doesn't take much to stir a exactly what happened when San Francisco-based Indian entrepreneur Neha Suresh shared a fast-forwarded video on X (formerly Twitter) of herself and her co-founder Akash grinding away at their desks. Accompanying the video was a caption that quickly lit up social media timelines:'If you're not spending 14+ hours a day working on your dream you're ngmi. You can't build a world-changing product on 9–5 energy. 80-hour weeks aren't extreme. It's baseline.'It was part motivation, part manifesto. And for many online, it was a red hours, Neha's tweet had gathered hundreds of reactions. While some admired her dedication, others questioned the sustainability and implications of her words.'I love the passion and dedication you bring to your dreams, Neha,' wrote one commenter. 'But I'm not sure 14 hours a day is sustainable for everyone.''I burned out chasing 80-hour weeks,' said another. 'I actually build better products when I'm rested and thinking clearly.'Many critics pointed out that such messaging may unintentionally glorify overwork and perpetuate toxic workplace expectations — especially if taken beyond the founder level and applied to tweet is the latest ripple in a much broader global conversation — one that's been reignited time and again in recent months. Just last year, Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy urged India's youth to work 70 hours a week to help the country catch up with global productivity . His statement, while intended as a wake-up call, sparked widespread backlash for allegedly overlooking the mental health toll and work-life imbalance it could British VC Harry Stebbings, known for his podcast 20VC, claimed earlier this year that 'seven days a week is the required velocity to win right now' — a comment that was both applauded for its realism and criticized for pushing an unhealthy Silicon Valley to Shanghai, the pressure to be always 'on' is often sold as a prerequisite to success — a narrative echoed in China's notorious '996' work culture (9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week), which many blame for burnout , yet credit for explosive tech some argue that success requires relentless hours, others emphasize how those hours an episode of the podcast For a Change, neurologist Dr. Sid Warrier offered a more nuanced view. Drawing from his own experience, he explained: 'When I'm working in my own hospital, I can be there 24/7, but because it's my thing, my brain doesn't register it as work.' In contrast, an employee doing the same hours without personal investment might experience high stress and rapid burnout.'It's not really about work or not work. It's about stress and no stress,' he explained. Passion and purpose , according to Warrier, play a far bigger role in sustainability than sheer clocked-in where the conversation gets more complex. Founders like Neha may genuinely thrive on 80-hour weeks. But does promoting that rhythm as the only path to success put undue pressure on teams? Critics were quick to draw this line.'If this applies only to you founders, then it's okay. But don't generalize an 80-hour per week work culture,' a user responded on Neha's post. Another pointed out that overwork might not even lead to better output: 'Stopping 9-5 to start 24/7. But the vibe is really different, for sure.'Others made a case for smarter funding rather than longer hours. 'If a 10-person team is burning out to keep up with a 50-person VC-backed startup, the problem isn't effort — it's the cap table,' noted Sarah Wernér, co-founder of Husmus, in an interview with CNBC Make be clear, Neha's post wasn't without supporters. Some saw it as a wake-up call in an increasingly comfort-seeking culture. 'There's real truth in going all-in and putting in the hours to build something extraordinary,' wrote one Stebbings, while advocating hard work, drew a line at sacrificing mental health. 'I'm not saying miss dinner with friends or sit at your desk all day,' he told CNBC. He, too, spoke of balance — walking marathons with his ailing mother on Sundays, before returning to Suresh's now-viral post may not have intended to stir debate, but it's clear the world isn't done discussing hustle culture — especially at a time when mental health, fairness, and work-life integration are being redefined.

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