Emami to acquire 100% stake in men’s grooming brand The Man Company

Emami, a FMCG company in India, has entered into a Binding Agreement with Helios Lifestyle (‘Helios’) which is well known for its premium men’s grooming brand The Man Company to acquire 100% ownership by acquiring the balance 49.60% stake. Helios is already a subsidiary of Emami, where Emami currently holds 50.40% stake.

The Man Company, a digital-first lifestyle brand, offering head-to-toe range of premium men’s grooming products in Fragrances, Skin Care, Hair Care, Body Care and Beard Management category. The products are available across online and offline channels, all online marketplaces, including its own website, app, and Exclusive Brand Outlets (EBOs) and modern trade chains.

The completion of the acquisition of Helios by Emami will strengthen its presence in the fast growing digital first premium male grooming segment. Indian men are increasingly becoming more aware of the need to appear well groomed to stand out in a competitive environment. As a result, male grooming products are rapidly gaining traction, driving impressive market growth. The segment offers huge potential for innovation & growth. Emami is already an active player in the male grooming segment through its brand Fair and Handsome.

Harsha V Agarwal, vice chairman and MD, Emami said, “We had adopted the route of strategic investments in new-age startups very early to leverage online opportunities brought about by rapid digitalisation to incubate new engines of growth. These strategic investments help us to have footprints in emerging segments that align with evolving consumer preferences. ‘The Man Company’ brand was our first strategic investment in 2017, which has been extremely fruitful, with the company becoming our subsidiary in 2022. We are happy to have not only invested in ‘The Man Company’ as we could foresee its huge potential, but equally impressed and happy with the promoter’s vision and commitment towards making it a formidable brand. With the completion of 100% acquisition of the Company, we are excited to take the brand to its next level of growth.”

Agarwal further added, “We will continue to explore more such opportunities for strategic investment that have synergies with our existing line of businesses.”

Commenting on the development, Hitesh Dhingra, co-founder, Helios Lifestyle said, “As we embarked on our journey, we noticed a shift in men's grooming needs, with more men recognising the importance of looking and feeling their best. Seeing this untapped potential, we took the opportunity and started the brand and partnered with Emami as a strategic investor in 2017. Within a short span of time, ‘The Man Company’ has become a key player in men’s grooming segment in India. As we took the brand to a new level over the last few years, we now expect it to continue its growth trajectory with Emami who has the ability to further accelerate the same and make ‘The Man Company’ one of the leading brands in the segment.”

“We enjoyed our journey with Emami who came on board as a strategic partner and guided us and together, we took the brand to a new level. We believe the brand has great potential and would love to see ‘The Man Company’ as a global brand under Emami,” added Bhisham Bhateja, co-founder, Helios Lifestyle.