BENGALURU:  Dabur India Limited (Dabur) spent 19.44 per cent more towards Advertisement and Publicity (Ad & Pub) in FY-2014 at Rs 999.67 crore (14.09 per cent of Income from Operations or Inc from Ops) as compared to the Rs 836.98 crore (13.55 per cent of Inc from Ops) in FY-2013. The company’s PAT at Rs 913.92 crore in FY-2014 was 12.88 per cent more than the Rs 763.42 crore in FY-2013.

Notes: 100,00,000=100 lakhs = 1 crore

Dabur Ad & Pub spend was Rs 228.38 crore (12.87 per cent of Inc from Ops) in Q4-2014 which was (-21-14) per cent lower than the Rs 289.62 crore (15.87 per cent of Inc from ops) in Q3-2014, but 19 per cent more y-o-y as compared to the Rs 191.92 crore (12.43 per cent of Income from Ops) in Q4-2013.

Though the company’s Inc from Ops in Q4-2014 at Rs 1774.41 crore was (-7.06) per cent lower than the Rs 1909.29 crore during the immediate trailing quarter, y-o-y, Op inc was 14.95 per cent more than the Rs 1543.65 crore in Q4-2013. Dabur’s Inc from Ops for FY-2014 at Rs 7049.43 crore was 14.87 per cent more than the Rs 6176.12 crore in FY-2013. Please refer to Fig 1 & 1A below. Across 9 quarters starting Q4-2012 to Q4-2014, the company’s Ad & Pub Exp shows an upward trend, both in terms of absolute value as a well as percentage of Op Inc.

Q-o-q, Dabur’s PAT in Q4-2014 at Rs 235.29 crore was (-3.13) per cent lower than the Rs 242.88 crore in the immediate trailing quarter, but was 17.32 per cent more than the year ago PAT of Rs 200.55 crore in Q4-2013. Please refer to Fig 2

Category Growths

The company says that the digestives category posted a 23.3 per cent growth during the fourth quarter of 2013-14, while the foods business riding on strong demand for its packaged juices ended the period with a 20.6 per cent growth. The toothpaste business for Dabur led by Dabur Red Paste reported a 20.7 per cent growth, while the shampoo business grew by 19 per cent. The health supplements business saw a 17.6 per cent growth during the quarter, while the home care category grew by 13 per cent.

"The business has performed well on all operating parameters. Our strong performance reflects the robustness of our business model and our ability to efficiently manage the emerging challenges. Dabur has been reporting strong and consistent performance despite intensifying competitive pressures and the challenging market environment being witnessed for some quarters now. Going forward too, our focus will be on pursuing an aggressive and profitable growth strategy," Dabur chief executive officer Sunil Duggal said.