Fashion brand Libas profit falls 64% in FY24, nears Rs 500 Cr revenue

Entrackr · 2d

Fashion brand Libas profit falls 64% in FY24, nears Rs 500 Cr revenue Libas, a direct-to-consumer brand specializing in ethnic and fusion wear, approached Rs 500 crore in revenue during the fiscal year ending March 2024. However, increased spending on advertising and employee benefits resulted in a 64% fall in profits during the same period. Libas’ revenue from operations increased by 38% to Rs 487 crore in FY24, from Rs 352 crore in FY23, as per its financial statement sourced from the Registrar of Companies (RoC). Libas is a digital-first women’s ethnic wear brand offering kurtis, salwar suits, dresses, and bottoms in fabrics like cotton, silk, and georgette. The sale of these products was the sole source of income for the company in FY24. The growth in scale came with a sharp increase in expenses across the board. Total expenses rose 45% to Rs 483 crore in FY24 from Rs 334 crore in FY23. When it comes to expenses, Libas’s material costs remained its largest expense, making up over 61% of total costs, which rose 41% to Rs 296 crore. Advertising expenses surged 121% to Rs 42 crore, and employee benefits increased 56% to Rs 28 crore, while shipping costs totaled Rs 49 crore. The sharp spike in advertising and employee costs led to a 64% decline in profit, falling to Rs 5 crore in FY24 from Rs 14 crore in FY23. The company reported a Return on Capital Employed (ROCE) of 26.32% and an EBITDA margin of 3.06%. On a per-unit basis, Libas spent Re 0.99 to earn every rupee in revenue. As of March 2024, the Delhi-based company reported current assets of Rs 269 crore, with inventory alone accounting for Rs 154 crore. Significantly, its cash and bank balance stood at just Rs 30 lakh. According to startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, Libas has raised $18 million of funding from India Advantage Fund. The company’s co-founders, Sidhant Keshwani and Sunil Keshwan, own 84% of the company. Women’s ethnic wear is a crowded market at the best of times, and Libas has done well to get close to Rs 500 crores. But every milestone in the segment takes a lot of effort with ever changing trends for a fickly consumer. Libas has its work cut out if it wants to regain better margins, and quite simply, there is no easy way to get there. Be it exports, an offline play, or a cutback on advertising, the brand faces tough choices ahead to ensure it does not flare out like so many fashion brands. The good news is that contrary to opinion you might hear, ethnic wear is not going anywhere soon, as the strength in even saree sales indicates. If anything, the top brands have moved to a premiumisation model after building a strong reputation for quality. With its online focused approach, Libas will not find that easy to do, hence our belief that the brand is set to make some tough calls soon.