

Mint Explainer: Why Reliance Retail is backing loss-making celebrity brands
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.BENGALURU: Reliance Retail has acquired Anomaly Haircare, the global haircare label founded by actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas, as it accelerates its push into beauty and personal care.The dealincludes ownership of trademarks and digital assets with plans to scale the brand across India and global markets using Reliance’s omnichannel ecosystem, including its Tira platform, it said in a statement on Thursday.Mint unpacks why Reliance Retail is assembling a celebrity-led brand portfolio despite these companies reporting losses.Reliance Retail’s playbook has increasingly leaned on star power. The company had bought a majority stake in actor Alia Bhatt’s kidswear brand Ed-a-Mamma in July 2023.It acquired a 40% stake in celebrity stylist Manish Malhotra’s luxury ethnic wear brand MM Styles in 2021, and bought a majority stake in celebrity stylist Ritu Kumar’s label the same year.
Other key investments include Satya Paul in 2018.Together, these form a house of brands spanning fashion, beauty, and lifestyle.Reliance Retail, led by Isha Ambani,isn’t the only company seeking such brands.Nykaa, which currently runs a joint venture with actor Katrina Kaif for cosmetics brand Kay Beauty, is in talks to acquire Deepika Padukone’s 82E, as per a report by The Economic Times. Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail (ABFRL) owns the Virat Kohli-backed Wrogn, while Myntra owns Hrithik Roshan’s fitness apparel brand HRX.
Most of the celebrity brands backed by Reliance continue to deliver mixed results. Ed-A-Mamma’s FY24 net loss stood at ₹19 crore, while Ritu Kumar’s FY25 operating revenue fell 5% to ₹269 crore, and net losses widened to ₹49 crore.
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