
Lodha vs Lodha: Abhishek Lodha on the battle between the brothers for the Lodha brand

Summary
- Abhishek Lodha, CEO of Macrotech Developers, speaks for the first time on why he dragged his younger brother to court over the Lodha brand name.
Bengaluru: Macrotech Developers Ltd (Lodha Group), led by Abhishek Lodha, recently moved the Bombay High Court seeking to restrict The House of Abhinandan Lodha (HoABL), a real estate firm started by younger brother Abhinandan, from using the Lodha brand name.
Mumbai-based Macrotech Developers claims HoABL’s use of the Lodha name has created confusion among customers with respect to the brand. Marcotech’s lawsuit against HoABL is for infringement of the Lodha Group’s trademarks and passing off HoABL’s business as Macrotech’s. The next court hearing is on 27 January.
Speaking for the first time since the lawsuit was filed, Macrotech managing director and chief executive Abhishek Lodha in an interview spoke on the importance of the brand and the legal recourse that could not be avoided.
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Lodha also said the October-December quarter was Macrotech’s best ever in terms of pre-sales and that the company was on course to achieve its target for the full financial year (2024-25). On Saturday, Macrotech Developers, which focuses on residential development, reported a 87% year-on-year surge in net profit to ₹944.8 crore for the December quarter. Revenue jumped 39.3% to ₹4,083 crore.
Edited excerpts:
How important is brand for a real estate developer?
In a complex sector like real estate, the brand is the ultimate identifier. The consumer gets comfort from the brand he buys from, and it influences his buying decision in a big way. So, for customers, whom they deal with and the credibility of a developer’s brand play a very crucial role. The brand is a summation of the quality, financial capability, integrity and everything that a company stands for.
Why is the ‘Lodha’ brand name so important for Macrotech Developers?
We will protect the brand with all the capabilities we have because it is necessary that the consumer is not misled. For us, the consumers need to be aware that when they perceive they are dealing with Lodha, they are actually dealing with the Lodha brand.
When the family separation happened, there was ₹20,000 crore of liabilities of the company, and I took on that responsibility. Abhinandan is my brother and I have always wished him well. I wanted him to have a fresh start in life and have no problem with him doing real estate. But our brand is not available for use or misuse by anyone else.
Why did you resort to a legal route for resolution? Why couldn’t it be resolved through discussions, arbitration, etc.?
There are many, many instances where the Lodha brand has been used to mislead customers. Otherwise why would I do this? Anything and everything we could do as a family to resolve the issue that effort has been made. I love him as my brother, and this is very painful. But this is a publicly listed company backed by several global, blue-chip investors and one of India’s largest charitable entities as shareholders. Trademarks are very valuable. This is a simple trademark issue; there is no personal dispute.
On the earnings front, will Macrotech meet its 2024-25 pre-sales guidance of ₹17,500 crore?
The October-December quarter was our best-ever quarter in terms of pre-sales, at ₹4,510 crore, and our strongest ever collections performance of ₹4,290 crore. In terms of business development, we have already met our target at the end of the third quarter. In spite of significant investments, we have reduced our net debt by ₹600 crore, to ₹4,310 crore.
Overall, as a business, the brand is performing strongly and has a strong association with consumers, who value the product and service. That is allowing us to do strong sales and profitability, which really is what we are seeking as a business. The fourth quarter is typically a strong period in real estate. We need about ₹4,700 crore of pre-sales in this quarter to meet the full-year pre-sales guidance of ₹17,500 crore, which we should be able to do.
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Beyond your core market—Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR)—will Pune and Bengaluru contribute more going forward?
We have added a fifth property in Bengaluru. We had launched two projects earlier and a third one should be launched in the coming months. The market that we are trying to tap into in Bengaluru is homes priced at ₹1-5 crore, targeted at high-quality professionals. In FY25, Pune and Bengaluru together are likely to contribute slightly above 20% of our sales. We will be scaling up in both these markets.
Recent reports indicate housing sales plateaued in 2024. Do you agree?
The reports have shown an interesting trend, where the aggregate value of sales has gone up but the number of units sold has come down. I think the housing market is part of a long-term cycle. We did see the urban economy slowing down in the first half of this (fiscal) year for various reasons. In real estate, however, if you see the actual sales that the top companies have done, it doesn’t seem like there is any reason to worry.
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