Eternal raises ad spends to Rs 937 crore in December quarter

Eternal, the food delivery and quick commerce company that owns Zomato and Blinkit, increased its advertising and sales promotion spending to Rs 937 crore in the December quarter, as it continued to invest in growth across its businesses, as per media reports.

The advertising spend was 79.85% higher than Rs 521 crore in the same quarter a year earlier and 16.25% higher than Rs 806 crore in the September quarter.

The higher marketing outlay came during a quarter in which Eternal reported a 72.88% rise in consolidated net profit to Rs 102 crore for the three months ended December 31, 2025, compared with Rs 59 crore a year earlier. Profit was also up 56.92% from Rs 65 crore in the previous quarter.

Revenue from operations rose to Rs 16,315 crore, a 201.85% increase from Rs 5,405 crore a year earlier. On a sequential basis, revenue increased 20.05% from Rs 13,590 crore in the September quarter. Including other income of Rs 348 crore, total income stood at Rs 16,663 crore, up 194.56% year-on-year and 19.52% from the previous quarter.

Costs also rose sharply. Total expenses increased to Rs 16,493 crore, up 198.08% from Rs 5,533 crore in the year-ago quarter and 19.40% higher than Rs 13,813 crore in the September quarter.

Delivery and related charges rose to Rs 2,376 crore, an increase of 63.86% from Rs 1,450 crore a year earlier and 7.37% higher than Rs 2,213 crore in the previous quarter. Purchases of stock-in-trade jumped to Rs 10,076 crore, up 301.43% from Rs 2,510 crore a year earlier and 14.57% higher than Rs 8,795 crore in the September quarter.

Employee benefits expense increased to Rs 914 crore, up 32.66% from Rs 689 crore in the same quarter last year and 3.98% higher than Rs 879 crore in the previous quarter.

Despite the rise in expenses, profit before tax improved to Rs 170 crore, up 37.10% from Rs 124 crore a year earlier and 31.78% higher than Rs 129 crore in the September quarter.