Latest news with #Kantar
Independent Singapore
a day ago
- Business
- Independent Singapore
Work-life balance is still top priority for Singaporeans after 3 years, though Gen X values pay a bit more
Photo: Depositphotos/ Shadow_of_light (for illustration purposes only) SINGAPORE: Work-life balance has remained the most important factor for Singaporean workers when choosing an employer for the third consecutive year, according to the Randstad Employer Brand Research 2025 report. The report surveyed 2,522 Singapore job seekers and employees across various sectors, including healthcare, information and communication technology (ICT), education, engineering, and finance. The survey, conducted by Randstad in partnership with research firm Kantar, was carried out between January and March this year through 14-minute online interviews with individuals aged 18 to 64. According to Malay Mail, citing the survey, Singaporeans across all age groups continue to value work-life balance the most. However, Gen X workers placed slightly more weight on financial compensation. They also place high importance on job security and working for a financially stable company. Still, only around half of the respondents said their current employers are meeting expectations when it comes to providing work-life balance. David Blasco, country director for Randstad Singapore, said work-life balance is likely here to stay for at least the next decade, as 'We will eventually have a job or have different income avenues, which makes work-life balance the true differentiating factor between employers.' Notably, work-life balance is closely tied to employee motivation and engagement, with those experiencing better work-life balance reporting higher job satisfaction and loyalty. On the other hand, poor work-life balance was one of the top reasons people considered leaving their jobs in the past year. Nearly half of all respondents also said they felt disengaged at work, and those who did were 60% more likely to consider leaving their jobs. /TISG Read also: Businesses should address burnout as an organisational problem, expert says Featured image by Depositphotos (for illustration purposes only)
Time of India
2 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Ayurveda's FMCG share remains low despite rising household use
Ayurveda, India's traditional healthcare system, accounts for just over 1% of the country's overall fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) market despite leading companies launching hundreds of natural and herbal personal care products over the past few years. While 92% of Indian households purchased ayurvedic products in 2024-25 compared to 89% five years ago, the contribution of the segment to the total FMCG volume increased to 1.1% from 0.8% during the period, according to a new exclusive report by Kantar, consumer insights arm of WPP. Moreover, in 2024-25, sales of ayurvedic products by volume fell 1% year-on-year, its first decline ever, a sharp reversal from the high double-digit growth in recent years on the back of the meteoric rise of Patanjali, an Ayurveda-based brand by yoga guru Baba Ramdev and the Covid-19 pandemic-driven affinity for natural products. "Ayurvedic brands grew during the pandemic as consumers shifted focus on immunity. But most brands talk about natural ingredients and not many companies talk about ayurveda. In FY24, Patanjali drove the category growth and in FY25, their performance dragged the numbers down. While there are temporary hiccups, there is interest in the sector," said K Ramakrishnan, managing director, South Asia, Worldpanel Division. "While not falling under the traditional FMCG bracket, products with ingredients such as ashwagandha, triphala, shilajit are selling D2C (direct-to-consumer) and even on Q-Comm (quick commerce) channels, reaching the urban upper sections of society." Ayurvedic brands are those which use traditional principles and methods of ayurveda, while natural brands just add a few natural or herbs to their products. Dabur 's sales increased 3% year-on-year in 2024-25, Himalaya and Cholayil expanded 7.5% and 1.3%, respectively. However, sales of both Patanjali and Vicco fell 4% year-on-year, impacting the overall segment growth, said Kantar. "We have been taking steps to drive penetration of our healthcare brands and expanding the need state beyond immunity by getting into new areas like combating stress, digestion etc., besides expanding the consumer cohorts and increasing usage occasions. These have helped our key Ayurvedic brands maintain their momentum and record market share gains," said Dabur CEO Mohit Malhotra. He added that the company continued to add new products and offer age-old ayurvedic remedies in modern formats to better connect with the millennial consumers. Almost every household in India purchases at least one ayurvedic brand. with Dabur having the highest penetration (81%), followed by Patanjali (58%), according to Kantar. However, Patanjali, due to its presence across many categories, dominates with a higher volume share.
Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Times
M&S food sales slow after cyberattack
Sales growth slowed in Marks & Spencer's food business over the past three months as it dealt with the fallout from a crippling cyberattack. The FTSE 100 retailer reported sales in its food arm rose 9.1 per cent year-on-year over the 12 weeks to June 14, according to NielsenIQ, the research company. That represented a slowdown from 10.8 per cent growth in the three months to May 17 and 14.7 per cent in the report before that, reflecting the disruption that followed a cyberattack in April. Though M&S's market share ticked up ten basis points on the year to 3.7 per cent, it was down from the 3.8 per cent reading in last month's report. M&S was hit by a cyberattack over Easter weekend that initially affected its online services, including click and collect and contactless payments. The high-street stalwart paused online orders for almost two months, including clothes deliveries, and also took other systems offline. That reduced food availability and also resulted in higher waste and logistics costs. The company has since restored its operations. The group resumed taking online orders for clothing lines on June 10 after a 46-day suspension. However, M&S estimated that the attack would hit profits by about £300 million, although it is expected to claim £100 million from insurers alongside other mitigations. Clive Black of Shore Capital, the broker, noted 'commendable momentum' from the retailer despite the slowdown. 'No doubt there was a particular dip in momentum at the end of April and into May, but it looks like the label is returning to outperformance again,' he said. 'Well done M&S, however, on seeing through a still strong performance in the face of immense malevolent challenge.' • Retail giants 'face £600m bill' as new business rates bite Most of NielsenIQ's data echoed the findings of rival researcher Kantar's report on Tuesday, with robust performances from market leader Tesco, number two player Sainsbury's and online supermarket Ocado. However, M&S is not fully included in Kantar's market share data set. Black said: 'M&S, despite disruption, shows up well whilst Sainsbury & Tesco continue to gain share. The market is, as ever, competitive, but also rational; no price war is evident, which augurs well for earnings outcomes in 2026. The health agenda grows for the sector.' Asda, which has been struggling since its private equity takeover, saw another slowdown in sales, according to NielsenIQ. Sales at the UK's third-largest grocer fell by 1.6 per cent during the 12-week period, while market share slipped from 12.4 per cent to 11.5 per cent. Total till sales growth increased by 3.8 per cent in the past four weeks, up from 3 per cent the previous month, thanks to warmer weather 'enabling al fresco dining', NielsenIQ said. An M&S spokeswoman said: 'We continue to make good progress in growing our food business, outperforming the market on both volume and value in all the latest data. We've launched over 200 new and upgraded lines in our foodhalls over the last two weeks, exciting both new and existing customers as they visit us more often and drive our market share growth over the long term.'
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Asda swings to £600m loss as debt pressures mount
The supermarket was acquired from long-time owner Walmart and the deal has prompted Asda to undertake a costly project to divorce its computer systems from its former US parent. Dubbed 'Project Future', Asda has spent heavily on the transition, shelling out £867m on it to date and £310m in 2024 alone. Mr Gleeson said 2024 was an important year for the retailer, in which it oversaw a transition to the new IT systems, insisting it would be 'stronger and fit for the future as a result of the transformation progress made in FY24'. However, the transition has been beset with issues and delays, such as an incident in March 2024 that saw thousands of workers receive incorrect payslips. The plunge in profits comes as Allan Leighton, Asda's chairman, attempts to restore the supermarket to growth after a loss of market share to grocery rivals since its takeover. Asda commanded 13.6pc of the UK grocery market at the beginning of 2024, but that figure had fallen to a record low of 11.9pc this month, according to Kantar. Price war Mr Leighton, a veteran retailer credited with turning around Asda's fortunes during a difficult period in the late 1990s, was drafted in to lead the company once more last November. Since then he has kicked off a price war with supermarket rivals and embarked on a major cost-cutting push. The businessman has called many of Asda's issues 'self-inflicted', saying he wants to 'turn it into what it was'. An Asda spokesman said: 'Asda's core business remains strong and profitable, delivering a pre-tax profit of £115m before exceptional items. 'The reported overall loss is the result of two significant one-off costs: a £378m non-cash impairment charge, which reflects updated asset valuations, and £310m in one-time costs related to Project Future – our strategic programme to separate Asda's IT systems from our former owner, Walmart. 'These are not recurring costs and do not reflect the underlying performance of the business. 'A more accurate indicator of our ongoing strength is our adjusted EBITDA after rent, which increased to £1.14bn from £1.078bn the previous year.'
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Fat jabs are blamed for shrinking supermarket sales: Shoppers buying less food as weight-loss medication stifles appetites
Fat jabs have hit grocery sales as demand for chocolate, crisps and biscuits is predicted to wane. Supermarkets are selling fewer groceries thanks to an uptick in Brits taking weight-loss drugs including Wegovy and Mounjaro, according to market research firm Kantar. Their research found that total grocery volumes fell by 0.4 per cent over the last four weeks compared to the same period last year. This was the first month this has happened this year so far. The decline represents 'new territory' for food heavyweights as four in 100 households in Great Britain now include at least one user of Ozempic-style drugs, Kantar's head of retail and consumer insight, Fraser McKevitt said. He added: 'That's almost twice as many as last year so while it's still pretty low, it's definitely a trend that the industry should keep an eye on as these drugs have the potential to steer choices at the till. 'Four in five of the users we surveyed say they plan to eat fewer chocolates and crisps, and nearly three quarters intend to cut back on biscuits.' It comes as grocery inflation hit 4.7 per cent this month - thanks to rising prices on key items such as cocoa and steak. This is the highest level since February 2024. Supermarkets in the US, where fat jabs first became popular a few years ago, have already seen an impact. In 2023, Walmart said it had seen a 'slight pullback' in the amount people were purchasing due to the jabs. In January, veteran fund manager Terry Smith dumped his stake in drinks giant Diageo arguing that the rise of drugs could hit demand for its products. He warned that the drinks sector was 'in the early stages' of being hit by the rising popularity of weight-loss jabs. Other companies to lose out at pharma giants' expense include WeightWatchers, which filed for bankruptcy earlier this year as it struggled to compete with obesity drugs. The slip in grocery volumes is the biggest suggestion yet that Ozempic demand is resulting in Brits eating less. Wegovy is taken as a weekly injection and tricks the body into thinking it is full. It is available on the NHS. Sister drug Ozempic, which has the same key ingredient, has taken off in the US. Celebrities who have taken it include actress Amy Schumer and TV host Kelly Osbourne. As of just this week, obese patients in England are now able to access jab Mounjaro for free, directly from their family doctor. The weekly injection, also known as tirzepatide, is now on offer to around 220,000 people over the next three years under new NHS prescribing rules. GPs can now prescribe the drug to patients with a BMI over 40-classed as severely obese-and at least four obesity-related health conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure or sleep apnoea. More than a million people are already using it via private clinics in the UK. This costs around £250 a month.
