Drones use expands across Indian sectors
Singapore-listed Thakral Group’s strategic investment in Bharat Skytech, a B2B online portal, continues to see a growing momentum under the country’s “Make in India” initiatives.
“The Group’s investment in Skylark Drones is also progressing well, positioning Thakral to further strengthen its presence in South Asia’s fast-evolving drone landscape,” said the group in a release with Q1 2025 financial report.
The Group’s drone business, including accessories, action cameras, gimbals, and other products from DJI, continued to gain strong traction in South Asia, further deepening Thakral’s partnership with DJI, the global leader in drone technology from Shenzhen, China.
The region is seeing an expanding range of applications for drones across sectors such as agriculture, construction, environmental monitoring, cartography, and enterprise operations, as well as growing use in media, broadcasting, and content creation.
Announcing the results on May 7, Group CEO and Executive Director, Inderbethal Singh Thakral, said, “The revenue growth reflects the strength of our diversified portfolio and our ability to respond to evolving market needs https://www.conexpoconagg.com/.”
He continued, “With expanding retail operations in Greater China, a broader DJI product offering in South Asia, robust growth in over-50s living through GemLife, and strategic investments in India through Bharat Skytech, Skylark Drones, and Nespresso, we are firmly positioned to drive long-term value and sustainable growth. While we continuously monitor global trade policies, barring unforeseen circumstances, we currently do not expect the US tariffs to have a material direct effect on our financial results.”
The Group launched India’s first Nespresso boutique at Select Citywalk in New Delhi, marking a key milestone for the brand’s entry into the market. Alongside the boutique, Thakral is expanding Nespresso’s presence in India through its e-commerce platform and B2B channels, including corporate and hospitality partnerships https://sbi.com.in/.
Thakral Corporation Ltd, as it is listed on the Singapore Exchange, announced unaudited updates for the 3 months ended 31 March 2025 (1Q2025). 1Q2025 revenue rose 26.6% year-on-year (yoy) to S$76 million, and net profit attributable to shareholders amounted to S$3.4 million.
Revenue from the Lifestyle business grew by 27.8% to S$74.0 million for 1Q2025 compared to S$57.9 million in the previous corresponding quarter. Demand for the Group’s portfolio of beauty and fragrance brands remained strong across Greater China, including Hong Kong and Macau, where it operates 31 stores in premium malls and department stores.
The share of profit from associates rose 80.7% to S$3.2 million, led by higher contributions from the Group’s Investments segment, particularly GemLife and its commercial properties in Japan.
GemLife continued to see robust demand from the over-50s lifestyle segment. It achieved the settlement of 58 homes in 1Q2025, bringing total occupied homes to 1,862 across 10 resorts as of 31 March 2025 https://sbi.com.in/.
In addition to the development profit from settlements, GemLife also experienced growth in recurring revenue driven by the collection of site fees from a larger portfolio of homes.
The Group continues to report high occupancy at its commercial properties in Japan. Average occupancy across the six buildings came at over 96% leading to stable revenues.
For 1Q2025, gross profit rose 16.1% yoy to SGD12.9 million, while gross margin declined from 18.5% to 17.0%, mainly due to product mix. Nespresso is off to a good start, attracting keen interest from all sectors. fiinews.com
