United Spirits more than doubles Q3 ad spend QoQ to Rs 523 cr 

United Spirits sharply stepped up its advertising and sales promotion spends in the December quarter, underscoring an aggressive brand push even as profitability came under pressure on a quarter-on-quarter basis.

The Diageo India-owned liquor maker spent Rs 523 crore on advertising and sales promotion in Q3 FY26, a 115.2% jump from Rs 243 crore in the September quarter. On a year-on-year basis, ad spends rose 36.9% from Rs 382 crore in the December 2024 quarter.

The spike in marketing investments coincided with a 10.3% sequential rise in revenue from operations, which stood at Rs 7,942 crore in the December quarter compared with Rs 7,199 crore in Q2 FY26. However, year-on-year revenue growth remained muted at 2.7%, up from Rs 7,732 crore a year ago.

Total income for the quarter came in at Rs 7,993 crore, up 9.8% quarter-on-quarter and 2.4% year-on-year.

The heavier ad outlay weighed on margins sequentially. Profit before tax declined 13.3% quarter-on-quarter to Rs 541 crore from Rs 624 crore in the preceding quarter. On a year-on-year basis, PBT increased 12.7% from Rs 480 crore in Q3 FY25.

Profit after tax stood at Rs 418 crore in the December quarter, down 9.9% sequentially from Rs 464 crore, but up 24.8% compared with Rs 335 crore reported in the year-ago period.

For the nine months ended December 31, 2025, United Spirits reported advertising and sales promotion expenses of Rs 1,004 crore, up 23.2% from Rs 815 crore in the corresponding period last year, signalling sustained brand investments through the fiscal. Total income for the nine-month period rose 4.0% year-on-year to Rs 21,640 crore, while profit after tax increased to Rs 1,299 crore from Rs 1,161 crore a year earlier.