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In an unprecedented move, hospitality startup founder Ritesh Agarwal has sought suggestions from people to rename the company's parent firm Oravel Stays. 

Oyo, which started over a decade ago, is bracing for something bigger, Agarwal said. He added, "it needs a name".

According to a report by PTI news agency, the selected brand name may end up being the name of the premium hotels app that Oyo has been working to launch in the near future.

In a social media post Agarwal wrote, "OYO started over a decade ago with a simple idea of upgrading quality living space across and driving standardization. Since then, we’ve grown from a single room in India to a network of travel, living, work, and hospitality solutions across 35+ countries. Today, over 100 million people interact with our 15+ brands — from holiday homes in Europe to studios in the US, from wedding venues to hospitality tech. But now, we’re building something bigger — and it needs a name".

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">How often does a global company ask the world to name it?<br>That’s exactly what we’re doing.<br><br>OYO started over a decade ago with a simple idea of upgrading quality living space across and drive standardisation. Since then, we’ve grown from a single room in India to a network of… <a href="https://t.co/qFAU3WsZ3G">pic.twitter.com/qFAU3WsZ3G</a></p>&mdash; Ritesh Agarwal (@riteshagar) <a href="https://twitter.com/riteshagar/status/1927975908197159195?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 29, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Agarwal underscored that Oyo will be renaming the corporate brand as it is not just limited to a hotel chain or a consumer product. "We want the name to come from the community that helped build it," he emphasized.

The entrepreneur has invited suggestions from brand thinkers, creatives, entrepreneurs, and curious minds.

Agarwal outlined the requirements for the new brand name, which include-- 'one-word corporate name', 'Global in feel, not tied to one culture or language,', 'Tech-forward, sharp, but also human and memorable,' 'Preferably with a .com domain available,' 'Could be a real word or something totally new,' and 'name that can grow beyond hospitality'.

Agarwal will award Rs 3,00,000 to the individual whose suggestion for Oyo's new name is selected and implemented.

According to Agarwal, "It’s a rare opportunity to shape the identity of a company that’s quietly redefining how people experience spaces — and doing it on a global scale".

Oyo's rebranding: Founder Ritesh Agarwal seeks suggestions for new name

Amid rising gold prices due to geopolitical instability, Kalyan Jewellers has chalked out plan to boost the brand presence of its wholly-owned subsidiary Candere, which has been incurring losses. Kalyan Jewellers Executive Director, Ramesh Kalyanaraman said that the jewellery brand has increased talent across the senior management and other areas, such as marketing, for Candere. 

"We are very clear on how the brand identity should be, strategy is also laid out. We were almost about to launch the campaign, wherein once we launch the campaign, only, we can expect footfall, and things will come to where we want, but because of the recent incident, we pushed the campaign," Kalyanaraman said during the Quarter 4 earnings call for the fiscal year 2025. 

The executive director has aimed to make Candere profitable in the current fiscal year.

At present, Candere's showroom count is 73 in the country, and the parent company has claimed to launch 80 more showrooms in the fiscal year 2026.

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/kalyan-jewellers-consolidated-profit-ups-36-5-in-q4-fy25-candere-reports-loss-of-rs-12-crore-65027.htm">Kalyan Jewellers' ad and promotion spendings up by 16% to Rs 106 crore in Q4 FY25</a>

Candere's net losses widened significantly in the Q4 FY24. According to the stock exchange filing, Candere reported a loss of Rs 12 crore in Q4 FY25 compared to Rs 70 lakh in the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal year. Additionally, the Q4 FY25 revenue also declined to Rs 28 crore from Rs 36 crore in Q4 FY24.

Candere's direct competitors, CaratLane, registered a 23% rise in its total income in Q4 FY25 to Rs 883 crore. CaratLane's Earnings Before Interest and Taxes (EBIT) stood at Rs 70 crore, clocking a margin of 8% in Q4 FY25. CaratLane is one of the key subsidiaries of Titan Company, a part of the Tata Group.

Candere is Kalyan's digital-first platform, which was founded in 2013 by Rupesh Jain. However, Jain sold the company to Kalyan Jewellers in a phased acquisition with the final stake transfer completed in 2024. Kalyan has planned to expand the Candere shworooms largely through the mix of Franchise Owned Company Operated (FOCO) and Company Owned Company Operated (COCO) models.

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/advertising/titan-boosts-ad-spend-by-23-to-rs-330-crore-in-q4-fy25-65065.htm">Titan boosts ad spend by 23% to Rs 330 crore in Q4 FY25</a>

"We plan to launch 80 Candere showrooms in India during the current financial year through a mix of FOCO and COCO showrooms. The bulk of the showrooms launch with the franchised ones. During Q1 and Q2 of the current financial year," Kalyanaraman said.

Kalyan Jewellers is one of the leading jewellery brands in the country. The company's profit soared to Rs 714 crore in FY25 compared to Rs 596 crore in FY24. Its rival Titan, comprising brands like Tanishq, Mia, and Zoya, recorded a Total Income growth of 21% to Rs 46,571 crore in FY25.

Kalyan Jewellers' subsidiary Candere to focus on brand identity, franchise model

Premium skincare brand Minimalist is set to expand its offline presence significantly, leveraging the extensive retail network of Hindustan Unilever (HUL). HUL is in the process of acquiring a 90.5% stake in Minimalist for ₹3,000 crore, subject to regulatory approvals. This partnership is expected to accelerate Minimalist’s growth, increasing its retail footprint from 2,000 to 20,000 stores across India within the next two years.

Mohit Yadav, Co-Founder and CEO of Minimalist, highlighted how HUL’s retail expertise will be instrumental in scaling the brand’s presence. He noted that HUL’s established on-ground teams and data-driven insights will allow Minimalist to expand at a much faster pace. What previously took 12 to 18 months to accomplish can now be scaled tenfold with greater efficiency, he said.

Beyond India, Minimalist is also looking to enter international markets more quickly. Establishing new partnerships and distribution channels typically takes several months, but HUL’s global reach will help the brand navigate these expansions with ease. With HUL’s presence in many international markets, Minimalist now has easier access to the right distribution networks, Yadav explained.

The partnership will also allow Minimalist to tap into HUL’s advanced research and development facilities for product innovation, clinical studies, and ingredient evaluation. Additionally, HUL’s experience in managing global beauty brands such as Paula’s Choice will provide valuable insights into market strategy and consumer trends.

Despite the acquisition, Minimalist will continue to operate independently within HUL’s framework. Yadav emphasised that both companies agreed Minimalist should maintain its current strategy and approach. He confirmed that while ownership has changed, the brand will continue to run autonomously, with its leadership team retaining full operational control.

With HUL’s support, Minimalist aims to establish itself as a leading player in both domestic and international skincare markets, strengthening its retail presence and product offerings.

Read More: <a href="https://cms.storyboard18.com/brand-marketing/hul-aims-to-achieve-premium-portfolio-shift-in-beauty-wellbeing-with-minimalist-acquisition-55022.html">HUL aims to achieve premium portfolio shift in Beauty & Wellbeing with Minimalist acquisition</a>

Minimalist to expand across 20,000 Stores as HUL partnership boosts growth

In 2015, when Abhay Hanjura and Vivek Gupta got together to set up an online meat and seafood store, the duo made sure that they added a generous sprinkling of quirkiness every time they had something new to communicate to their consumers.

The brand, through a digital property called Facehunt, asked for testimonials and recipes from consumers. About 15-20 consumers were shortlisted through this initiative and their faces were sketched on the brand’s packaging. Since then consumers have been Licious’ brand ambassadors. The consumer images are refreshed on a regular basis.

Now, after being in the business for seven years, the direct-to-consumer (D2C) brand has decided to refresh itself including a new logo.

Talking exclusively to Storyboard18, Santosh Hegde, VP - brands, Licious, explains the new strategy behind the brand refresh. He says that Licious was started with the aim to organise the category. “As this (the category) is widening, our competition base is also expanding. Today, a quick commerce brand is also our competition because they stock up on meat, eggs, etc., too” he adds.

Hegde also states Licious is on a portfolio expansion spree. Today, the brand has also moved into the ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook categories. The brand wants to remain relevant to everyone, from the consumers who are coming on to the brand’s app for convenience and indulgence.

As part of the brand refresh, Licious has picked up two “super-users” Ayushi Guha and Siddhartha Sanjay, who will appear on the new packaging along with the new logo. Ninety percent of the company’s revenue comes from repeat consumers, says Hegde. Keeping that in mind and the brand’s original philosophy, Licious is continuing to make consumers an important marketing ingredient.
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Too early for a brand refresh?
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Hegde says the brand looked at a lot of empirical data that’s suggested that most loved brands have made some changes in their brand identity or refreshed themselves in the period of 6-8 years. He gave examples of consumer tech companies like Facebook and Google. “It’s never too late or never too early to undertake a refresh as long as the base logic to it is sound,” he adds.

He also agrees that consumers do remember some brand assets. For example logo patterns, colours and design. That’s why “consistency” is critical, he states.

In Licious’ case, the new packaging will have sketches of super-users indulging in the brand’s products and produce. The new logo has a combination of smoky grey, hearty red, and creamy white colours “to enliven the lusciousness that one associates with meat - the taste, texture, and aroma of the consumption experience,” adds Hegde.

The brand identity will also be reflected on the brand’s app, website, offline stores, packaging, communications, and all branded assets. Codesign is the agency behind the design refresh.
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Adding quirk to advertising
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Recently, the company released a full-page ad over the weekend in two editions of The Times of India. The ad, created by the company's in-house creative team, used playing card references to position the brand’s latest ready-to-cook product, burger patty - as superior to the offerings of popular global QSR companies. The brand took a dig at Burger King and McDonald’s.

Hegde tells Storyboard18, “The creative is just a manifestation of what every Licious user firmly believes in, which is we are known for our superior products. That’s why we are not afraid to take on whoever it takes. The confidence to make such a marketing move comes from there.”

The brand is also betting big on regionalisation of products and communication. Hegde hints there are a few marketing campaigns in the works. The company will also work closely with influencers to enhance the regional flavours of the brand's marketing strategies.

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