Aditya Birla Fashion Q2 revenue up 50%, hits lifetime high; profit rises 6x

Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd (ABFRL), part of the Aditya Birla Group, posted a 50 per cent year-on-year spike in revenue for the quarter ended September 30, 2022, taking the top line to Rs 3,075 crore. The company's net profit for the quarter under review stood at Rs 29 crore, up six-fold over the Rs 5 crore figure in the corresponding quarter during the previous fiscal year.

Strong performance across business segments during frge quarter led to a 24 per cent YoY surge in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) to Rs 418 crore.

ABFRL is aggressively expanding its network across brands with Pantaloons adding 21 outlets on a net basis and the branded business taking the store count up by 85, the company said.

The company’s net debt halved to Rs 243 crore in Q2FY23 at the consolidated level, from Rs 504 crore at FY22-end.

“Robust like-to-like and consistent e-commerce performance have been key drivers of growth in the quarter,” the company said. 

There was an increase in marketing investments after a Covid-induced hiatus of more than two years, as ABFRL began focusing on brand building and strengthening consumer connect with increased vigour, the company added.

Most of the firm’s segments put up a strong show, with revenue from lifestyle brands growing 45 per cent YoY to cross Rs 1,680 crore, on the back of industry-leading retail like-to-like growth of 27 per cent.

The quarter also marked solid traction for the women and kids wear business portfolio as it achieved the highest-ever quarterly revenue, the company said.

The firm's lifestyle business remained focused on small-town stores, with a network of 550 outlets across brands.

The Pantaloons business posted its highest-ever quarterly revenue, up 64 per cent YoY to Rs 1,094 crore, the firm said.

It has also consistently enhanced its Omni-channel coverage at over 1,600 stores, the company said.