Nestle SA, a Swiss packaged foods company, has highlighted India as a market with “strong performance and good momentum” in its post-earnings call. This is the first time India has been mentioned in such a context by the company, amidst global challenges. Nestle’s global CFO, Anna Manz, attributed the strong performance to investments made in high-priority areas, citing India, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Pakistan as examples. The company’s India unit reported a 10.8% year-on-year increase in domestic quarterly sales, reaching ₹5,411 crore, its highest-ever quarterly sales.
Another European company, Reckitt Benckiser, also cited India as a “standout market” despite disruptions caused by changes in the goods and services tax (GST). The company’s CEO, Kris Licht, stated that emerging markets, including India and China, had a standout performance, growing 15.5% in the quarter. However, the company’s CFO, Shannon Eisenhardt, noted that India posted low single-digit growth in the quarter due to the GST changes, which impacted revenue growth.
Other companies, such as Hindustan Unilever, Godrej Consumer Products, and Dabur, have also flagged short-term impacts on sales and profitability due to GST-related disruptions. Despite these challenges, Reckitt Benckiser expects India to continue contributing to its growth, with Licht stating that the company has a “very successful business in India” and is focused on taking other markets to the same level of excellence.
Globally, Nestle SA’s sales fell 1.9% year-on-year to $82.8 billion in the first nine months of 2025. The company has undergone significant changes, including the exit of its chairman and the termination of two chief executives. The new global chief, Philipp Navratil, announced 16,000 worldwide job cuts, describing it as a “hard but necessary” decision. Reckitt Benckiser, on the other hand, reported like-for-like net revenue growth of 7% across the group, led by emerging markets. The company expects India to continue delivering high single-digit growth in the future, despite the short-term impact of GST changes.