Emami increases stake in Helios Lifestyle to 45% with all cash deal

Emami Ltd has increased its existing stake in FMCG start-up Helios Lifestyle from 33.09% to 45.96% in an all cash deal for an undisclosed amount. Helios is the maker of the male grooming brand, The Man Company, primarily sold through e-commerce, large retail chains and premium outlets.
In a media release, Emami said this investment is in line with the company’s strategy of leveraging emerging online opportunities brought about by rapid digitization. With this investment, Emami has further strengthened its position as the largest shareholder in Helios.

The Man Company has a head-to-toe range of premium men’s grooming products in the bath and body, beard management, shaving and perfumes categories. The brand caters to the mass premium segment and is endorsed by actor Ayushmann Khurrana.

Emami said Helios' performance has improved as monthly revenues increased by five times since Emami’s initial investment in December 2017.

Harsha V Agarwal, director at Emami said, the company is happy with the partnership with Helios and the brand has delivered despite the unprecedented challenges due to the pandemic.

"The investment helps to accelerate our journey towards having a future ready male grooming portfolio and building an omni-channel premium brand particularly in the online space and lifestyle stores. The promoters bring in a lot of passion with a strong understanding of the online and digital space which are necessary for growing the business aggressively," said Agarwal.

He said the investment is also in line with Emami's emerging focus on strategic investments in start-ups to incubate new engines of growth.

As per a stock market disclosure, Helios revenue in 2020-21 was Rs 42.89 crore as compared to Rs 39.34 crore it had clocked in the fiscal earlier.