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Tag: india

  • India Reliance to borrow US$2.5 billion to refinance debt

    India Reliance to borrow US$2.5 billion to refinance debt

    Owned by India’s richest man Mukesh Ambani, Reliance is negotiating with more than a dozen banks to arrange the loans in single or multiple tranches as it rolls out an optical-fiber network and sets up more retail stores.

    This loans are to refinance existing offshore debt raised about two and a half years ago and would reduce average borrowing costs or extend maturities, the daily added.

    The conglomerate, whose interests range from petroleum to retail stores, has an ambitious plan to roll out its fixed-line broadband service Jio GigaFiber for 1,100 cities of India.

    Meanwhile India’s leading telecom service provider and Reliance rival Bharti Airtel is also looking to raise $1 billion overseas to refinance its high-cost debt.

    It wants to expand its fourth-generation (4G) mobile-phone technology network in order to face stiff competition posed by Reliance Jio.

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  • PepsiCo to help India implement plastic ban

    PepsiCo to help India implement plastic ban

    PepsiCo on Wednesday expressed its commitment to support the plastic ban enforced in Maharashtra, India, including the extended producer responsibility for PET plastic waste bottles, a top company official said.

    PepsiCo India President and CEO Ahmed ElSheikh met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis here and said it has partnered with Gem Enviro Management for setting up infrastructure to collect and recycle the PET plastic bottles in the state.

    Pledging to collect and recycle all the PET plastic bottles generated through PepsiCo’s beverages, he said that Gem Enviro will set up Reverse Vending Machines, collection points and centres at various locations in Maharashtra.

    “The programme will also ensure effective recycling of the PET waste collected. In addition, through the Indian Beverage Association, we are also setting up a consortium for industry players to come together and work towards enhancing the plastic waste management infrastructure in the state,” ElSheikh announced.

    He added that the company plans to design all packaging to be recoverable or recyclable by 2025 for which it is working on new technologies for sustainable packaging solutions.

    “We will be piloting the first ever 100 per cent compostable, plant-based packaging for our popular snacks products – Lay’s and Kurkure – this year, and have resized these snacks packaging to reduce paper consumption in the value chain,” ElSheikh said.

    For the beverages business, the company has launched Pepsi Black in non-returnable glass packaging and will collaborate with Central Pollution Control Board for two pilot projects for multi-layered packaging waste management.

    “As part of our efforts to increase recycling, we have also successfully piloted a ‘Film to Fuel’ project at our Pune plant to convert all the packaging film waste from the plant, into fuel, ensuring 100 percent recycling of packaging waste at the plant,” said ElSheikh.

  • Grofers India to enter FMCG segment; targets Rs 2,500 crore revenue by FY19

    Grofers India to enter FMCG segment; targets Rs 2,500 crore revenue by FY19

    Grofers closed FY 18 with Rs 950 crore of sales and is targeting for a stronger growth trajectory in 2019, with a 50 percent contribution from its private brands.

    The company has launched seven new brands under two categories Budget and Popular G-Brands.

    “With this, Grofers’ private labels expands to 250 food and non-food products for its consumers. With this significant business expansion, Grofers aims to drive the next wave of growth for e-commerce sector by bringing the next 100 million customers to its platform,” it said in a statement.

    Grofers’ range of private label is priced approximately 5 to 50 percent lower than the market price for popular brands in these categories, it claimed.

    The brand is bullish on growth with a revenue target of Rs 2,500 crore and roll out of over 500 SKUs for FY19, it added.

    Its presence would be in food products including tea, fruit jam, muesli, tomato ketchup, corn flakes, rose shahi sharbat and household categories of detergents, household care, oral care, tissues and disposables, kitchen tools and accessories, furniture and storage, among others.

    “Our foray into the FMCG segment uniquely differentiates and positions us in the e-grocery business. This vertical expansion is key to drive our next phase of growth in India. In the last five years, we have received an overwhelming response from our customers and experienced tremendous growth,” Albinder Dhindsa, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Grofers said.

    “Through many industry-first initiatives, we have been instrumental in bringing new customers to the e-commerce fold with 15 per cent of this customer base being our monthly unique shoppers. Our focus is to service the families of India who are yet to experience the world of e-commerce and our target is to bring the next 100 million new customers to e-commerce industry through our platform,” he added.

  • Cover Story to launch second flagship store at Mall of India, Noida

    Cover Story to launch second flagship store at Mall of India, Noida

    Cover Story, a fast fashion brand for women by Future Style Lab, is set to launch its flagship store on July 20, 2018 at Mall Of India, Noida. The store will be spread across 1,420 sq.ft. of area, at a prominent ground floor location amidst the most fashionable brands around.

    The sprawling area is an apt location for Cover Story with its state-of-the-art workspaces, retail havens, entertainment zone, F&B options and signature hospitality services. With the latest in fashion trends available here at Mall Of India, Noida is every fashionista’s ultimate shopping destination.

    The new store’s stock will have the latest Spring-Summer ‘18 and Autumn-Winter’18 collection.The collection, designed at the creative headquarters in London, consists of women’s apparel, accessories and shoes. The collection is inspired by the story of two BFFs, who are bold, adventurous and ready to rock the world. Luxurious and contemporary designs make the collection versatile enough to be worn on different occasions, during the day or night, by the modern woman. The collection draws inspiration from nine unique storylines, each designed with a catwalk trend keeping form, fabric and fit in mind.

    In the past one year, Cover Story has opened many stores across Delhi NCR, Mumbai and Surat, Kolkata, Coimbatore, Kochi, Chennai etc. Apart from these stores, Cover Story has nation-wide presence in different shop-in-shop formats including Central, Kapsons, Iconic and Sohum.

    Additionally, the brand has its own online store to help cater its customer from anywhere, by simply visiting the website – www.coverstory.co.in Cover Story is retailed through online marketplaces including Myntra, Jabong , Amazon.in and Koovs.

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  • Chowman India expands presence; opens 12th outlet

    Chowman India expands presence; opens 12th outlet

    Chowman, a name synonymous with neighbourhood fine dining has over the years carved a niche as one of the city’s most favourite destinations for authentic Chinese cuisine and the fastest growing fine dining chains. Having set its foothold across all prime locations of the city, Chowman has now thrown open its door to yet another outlet in Baguiati near Jora Mandir bus stop.

    Marking its territory across the city, from Golf Green to Salt Lake, Chowman has given Kolkata yet another food palate on the food aficionados’ platter. Strategically located at Baguiati, this restaurant also has the Chowman’s signature décor with elegant red and black color scheme surrounded by low lighting along with the bronze Buddha statute, pots and bells are thoughtfully put together for a soothing ambiance. The exquisite infrastructure of Chowman with 76 seater restaurant makes the day perfect with good combination of food and fine dining which makes it stand out of the crowd.

    Chowman offers a wide variety of menu ranging from various flavors of fish, chicken, prawn, lamb as well as crab meat which can be enjoyed with your loved one, family and friends.

    According to Debaditya Chaudhury, Managing Director of Chowman and Founder-member of Bengali rock-band Lakkhichara said, “We now have 12 Chowman outlets across the city with more than 50,000 loyal customers and a delivery fleet catering to every corners of the city. This is out 12th outlet and by far the biggest one with 76 seats. Chowman has over the years democratized the concept of neighbourhood fine dining restaurant in Kolkata. We wish to open few more outlets by 2019 and then foray into other cities like Mumbai and Bangalore.”

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  • Ermenegildo Zegna invests in India’s Raghavendra Rathore

    Ermenegildo Zegna invests in India’s Raghavendra Rathore

    Italy’s Ermenegildo Zegna has purchased a minority stake in Raghavendra Rathore, as the Italian suit maker looks to expand the luxury men’s brand and mature India’s luxury fashion market.

    In partnering with Reliance Brands for a collective stake, Zegna’s equity investment is set to elevate Raghavendra Rathore as a business and brand, putting it on an international playing field.

    While information was not disclosed of the partnership, there is huge potential for the Indian label to grow its custom menswear and accessories, its ability to enhance customer engagement, as well as to get more sourcing and back-end support. That’s in addition to opening more stores.

    “Like Reliance, we are strategic and not merely financial investors,” Ermenegildo Zegna, CEO, Gildo Zegna told the Press Trust of India.

    “As regards the investment in Raghavendra Rathore, it is significant as it is a first for a global fashion house making a strategic investment in the business of an Indian designer. In some sense, it heralds the coming of age and maturing of India’s luxury fashion business.”

    Rathore, the Indian menswear designer famous for his Jodhpur Bandhgalas, currently has seven standalone stores in India.

    Ermenegildo Zegna, which has its own menswear brand, retails through three stores in India, all run by Reliance Brands.

    Reliance Brands has a portfolio of over 40 international brands that span across the luxury, bridge-to-luxury, high-premium and upscale-street lifestyle segments. Brands include Gas, Diesel, Marks & Spencer and Steve Madden.

    Last year, Reliance Brands acquired a 46.6% stake in Genesis Luxury Fashion, which operates brands such as Armani, Canali and Michael Kors.

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  • LEGO sheds premium tag to become a mass player in India

    LEGO sheds premium tag to become a mass player in India

    Danish toy brand Lego is shedding its premium strategy to position itself as a mass-market brand in India.

    Following an increased focus on Asia during the past two years, Lego is seeking to expand its consumer base in India by bringing products in the price band of INR500 to 5000 (US$7.30 to $73) to the emerging market. It could also bring the Lego Certified Store format into the country by 2022.

    Lego’s senior regional sales manager for South Asia Amit Kararia said: “In India, Lego was perceived to be a premium brand. But since the past two years, we have been working on going mass and expanding our consumer base.

    “E-commerce has also emerged as an important sales channel for us with nearly 25 per cent of our sales coming from this channel. It also helps us reach out to consumers where we are not present through physical stores,” Kararia added.

    With the expansion of toy-specialist stores and department stores in India, the company is hoping to expand its presence in major and second tier cities, expanding from 40 to 60 cities in the foreseeable future. It is also hoping to see double-digit growth in the market, which has the largest number of children aged under 13 years.

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  • Luggage brand VIP eyes online expansion

    Luggage brand VIP eyes online expansion

    VIP, a world-renowned company that specializes in offering secure, cutting-edge luggage and baggage products to its customers for over four decades has chosen BuyMore, a brand of Counfreedise Retail Services Ltd, India’s leading e-commerce aggregator for the online retail sector in India to expand their online reach. Counfreedise will help VIP in getting listed on its base of 10 e-commerce websites in the Indian marketplace and 8 websites across 12 countries around the world.

    VIP will also avail the brands services of multi-portal selling, warehousing and big data analytics in order to benefit the best of the online retail environment. BuyMore will also serve as a one-stop solution provider for VIP for increasing transparency in inventory management, pricing and accounting through its comprehensive ERP solution (Enterprise Planning Software). VIP aims to take the benefit of BuyMore’s services and expand its reach to the unchartered territories through their online presence.

    With this association, Counfreedise Retail Services Ltd, which already boasts of over 350 brand associations, has its eyes set on exceeding the Rs 100 crore turnover mark for the 2018-19 fiscal. It has also launched its new mobile application BuyMore Seller App which reduces vendors workload as they can manage their e-commerce business while on the go. With the help of the app, vendors can track details of the sales, payments and stock, know exactly the number of products selling online, get insights on last week’s payments and next payment date and estimate the stock value of the products selling through Buymore.

    Akshath Tiwari, Ecom Manager, VIP said, “Counfreedise is the pioneer in advanced retail software solutions in India and that is why they were our preferred choice when we decided to go the online route. Our association with them will enable us to start and manage effectively our eCommerce operations and reach audience that has been out of our reach till now. VIP and Counfreedise share similar values and we look forward to sharing the benefits that our association will bring.”

    Abhinandan Mahesh, Director and CEO of Counfreedise Retail Services Ltd, commented, “Today, Counfreedise is technologically robust with Artificial Intelligence (AI) being integrated with most of our eCommerce and retail software solutions. We have developed over 50 indigenous software solutions to help brands track and estimate sales, minimize returns post-purchase, automate tedious financial processes and automate and integrate most of the processes in our warehouses. All this will only bolster our tie-up with VIP and help us capitalise the best of online customer base for them.”

    Sidharth Mahesh, Managing Director of Counfreedise Retail Services Ltd, states, “We are glad to associate with VIP and add it to our already existing brands’ list. This association and agreement is fuelled by our renewed confidence about our infrastructure and technologically advanced software solutions. With our BuyMore Seller product suite, we aim to provide VIP the best of retail and eCommerce solutions that will help them gain market leadership.”

    Counfreedise recently also announced its transformation to a public limited firm from a private one. The company will be filing for listings at the BSE and the NSE in the coming months. The price of their shares is estimated to be at a premium 18 to 25 times the face value. It is India’s first firm to go public in its domain. The company aims to raise issues with the total market capitalisation of Rs 250 crore. The investment raised would be used in building and managing warehouses and managing state of the art software systems.

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  • Replay seals the deal with Reliance brands to enter India

    Replay seals the deal with Reliance brands to enter India

    Replay, Italian leader in the premium denim segment, has announced a strategic distribution partnership in India with Reliance Brands Limited.

    The agreement signed with Reliance Brands Limited for the distribution of Replay apparel, footwear and accessories will start with a Spring-Summer 2019 collection.

    Reliance Brands Limited will have the exclusive distribution rights to the Replay brand in the country. The first two flagship stores are targeted to open in Delhi and Mumbai in 2019.

    Matteo Sinigaglia, CEO and owner of Fashion Box S.p.a. — the company that owns Replay — said: “In the brand’s ongoing internationalisation process, India represents a strategic country, and joining forces with Reliance Brands Limited, leader in the fashion and casual wear segments, will allow us to take a premium positioning in the Indian market.
    “I am very excited to start our cooperation. The first flagship store in Delhi is scheduled to open next year.”

    Darshan Mehta, President and CEO, Reliance Brands Limited, added: “Denim is the most versatile garment. It’s a way of life and Replay has been a synonym for the highest standards in the denim sector for more than 30 years now. Our young population, well-travelled consumers and increased purchasing power are perfect catalysts for Replay’s growth in India.”

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  • The evolving Indian luxury market

    The evolving Indian luxury market

    India – every year is a growth story, despite complaints and gripes, the market grows! In the past 5 years, India has seen the beginning of a new cultural emergence from the prospective of retailers, manufacturers and the customer and consumer. The span 2017-2020 appears to be the decade quarter of evolution. There are number of small yet critical factors which clearly demonstrate the decade quarter of evolution that has continued in India and more importantly the way the luxury fashion market is developing on a fiscal and cultural prospective.

    There was a time when purchases in fashion were either need based or one off aspirational purchases. As we have seen, especially since 2015, fashion purchases have evolved to a more desire and aspiration based activity. Across the luxury pyramid 4 categories are seen as more than a basic need. The items worn reflect the consumer’s personality, and is perceived by them as a status symbols. With the growth of international influence and more correctly put, the emergence of a pan-global target audience, each brand, regardless of its Tier, price and country of manufacturing, represents an aspirational value.

    Its not just international brands we are referring to, the growing demand and redefined allocation of flexible income towards fashion, along with the newly restored pride in ‘Made in India’, has opened the doors for domestic brands today. With three of the largest department stores launching their own private labels, while not all are a luxury to the better travelled among us, nearly 28 percent of retail clothing sales from structured retail today comes from the department store segment including Shoppers Stop, Pantaloons and Westside among others. These department stores have effectively offered home grown alternatives to international high street fashion brands such as Zara and H&M. With Westside planning to expand beyond Indian borders, the coming years could very well give a much needed impetus to manufacturing in India.

    The currency advantages, higher quality of manufacturing and lower manufacturing costs in India, provide a key advantage to all brands that are manufacturing in India and selling globally today.

    KK Shirts launched in 2014, is a small outfit selling a limited run of 1,000 shirts globally every year, proudly ‘Made in India’, matching the quality of ready-to-wear shirts provided by far more established European brands. The shirts are priced modestly between Rs 6,000 to Rs 18,000 (45 GBP to 200 GBP) whereas a big boxed store would sell a similar quality and care for at least 2.5x, using sustainable textiles and environmentally friendly dyes and prints. The brand, in 2017, was sold out of all its shirts in a record 8 months period. It’s surprisingly good for a brand which neither banks on social media nor advertises, but just relies on the word-of-mouth from its customers and targets consumers who want a shirt from a brand which is different and cares as much about the process and the end creation as much as the consumer does about the taste of the food they eat.

    International brand launches are not to be left behind, while we have H&M open up across the country in the premium affordable market, we have also seen brands such as Ted Baker, which back in London, is a common department store and non-luxurious brand, in India’s newest luxury mall, The Chanakaya. Ironically ultra luxury or haute luxury niche shoe brand, EL Chaussure decided that malls in India are not yet luxurious enough to match their other stockists such as Harrods in London and chose to continue to offer their designed-to-desire shoe service online and through a partnership with Excedo Luxuria in India. They allow customers to design and order their own shoes online and then have them hand made by craftsman in Great Britain, Italy and Spain.

    The latest launches clearly show the consumer and customer of today is ever willing to look at newer brands and they are open to new brands, both international and domestic, which can provide value for money (that’s different from being cheap), support in defining a social status, is globally appealing and most importantly, is fashionable and in season.

    With the increase of foreign investment as well as local investment, local businesses infrastructure continues to develop driving down the mid-term cost of operations, logistics and even top level manufacturing costs.

    Given the glocal opportunity, e-commerce shopping continues to grow specifically when looking at the Omnichannel strategy. Investments in retail will continue largely focused on providing the customer an unbeatable personalised customer service. It was estimated that Rs 2,00,000 crore was invested in retail in 2016 and by 2020 its expected to double. With core and inter-market consolidation such as Reliance Brands’ acquisition of 40 percent of Genesis Luxury, it is making way for the original founders to pursue wider opportunities and growth, and giving Reliance the ‘influence’ to align benefits and market strategies.

    With investments being made in retail, we can expect the contribution of Tier -II and -III cities’ towards total luxury fashion spending increase, though in our experience, many key buyers are driven by the psychology of buying the best and buying better than those in the metropolitan cities, a higher status symbol and far better value for money. This mind set gives way to a list of haute luxury brands such as Swiss Luxury, Laurent Ferrier, along with higher end industrial luxury brands such as Kiton, a luxury made-to-measure clothing from Italy. These niche labels entice new customers and educate them in their own brands’ prospectives; without them being over exposed to Massitige and mass luxury fashion brands advertising such as Louis Vuitton or Christian Dior.

    The least obvious but one of the most critical evolutionary points, is the definition of luxury fashion. Fashion, till recently, was limited largely to clothes and immediate clothing accessories. As time progressed, categories such as shoes, jewellery, watches and accessories have been included, in the truest term. Today, the luxury fashion market includesa full wardrobe from innerwear to watches like Versace or the more niche Lytt Labs. With a variety of options and each design bearing in mind the modern day buyers’ wardrobe, lifestyle and functionality; the interchangeable straps on a Lytt Labs represents this exact mindset, with over 300 different straps available, from black leather to green, red and blue tartan, all changeable within a minute at home.

    Overall, the immense growth charted for the luxury fashion segment in India is nothing short of exciting; but with all enticing opportunities come challenges. There are not in surmountable challenges though. Consolidation is a wise move and I would expect to see further mergers and some inter-market investments reducing the competition domestically and increasing competition for international brands, providing the end customer and consumer with better service.

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  • China, India, Myanmar can be the next countries for CP All

    China, India, Myanmar can be the next countries for CP All

    CP All is assessing expansion opportunities in China and India for its Siam Makro cash-and-carry retail concept.

    It is also evaluating opening a store in Myanmar after experiencing success in nearby Cambodia.

    “Siam Makro is on a new journey of expanding in overseas markets,” CP All’s CFO Kriengchai Boonpoapichart said in an interview.

    “It will be a tough and challenging road, but it’s a good opportunity with large populations to tap, compared with Thailand’s mature market.”

    Siam Makro set up Lots Wholesale Solutions in India earlier this year with plans to invest as much as US$145 million over five years. The first store is on track to open within a few months along with a second store in Cambodia.

    CP All is the listed retail business of Thai billionaire Dhanin Chearavanont. It paid more than $6 billion to buy Siam Makro five years ago, adding to its 7-Eleven convenience-store chain which now numbers about 11,000 across Thailand, with plans to open a further 700 annually.

  • India aim to open 50 Bath & Body Works stores in 5 years

    India aim to open 50 Bath & Body Works stores in 5 years

    Major Brands India, a leading retailer for premier international fashion apparel, accessories and beauty brands, has added yet another exciting brand to its portfolio: Bath & Body Works – one of the world’s leading specialty retailers of fragrant products for the body, hands, and home.

    The first Bath & Body Works store opened in June in India in New Delhi at Select CityWalk, followed closely by its second store in DLF Mall of India, Noida.

    At the launch, Tony Garrison, Senior Vice President, Bath & Body Works International said, “Bath & Body Works is a 25-year-old brand. We opened our first store in the Boston and have grown up to 1,600 stores in the US. About seven years ago, we decided to go international, so we opened first store of Bath & Body Works in Canada and since then there has been no looking back. Today, we are present in 34 countries. Now, India is a next big step for us.”

    “Rising awareness of premium personal care products, growing disposable incomes, changes in consumption patterns and lifestyles, promise exciting times for Bath and Body Works in India,” added Renu Karumsi, Associate Vice President, Bath & Body Works International.

    The Bath & Body Works Select CityWalk store is spread across approx. 1,300 square feet while the Mall Of India store covers approx. 1,500 square feet area. Both locations present an exciting and new experiential environment that will allow customers to explore an extensive array of fashion fragrances for the bath, body and home.

    From fun and flirty scents to sophisticated and exotic fragrances, Bath & Body Works offers a wide range of world-class fragrances to suit every personality and occasion.

    Hallmark collections of the brand including the Signature Collection Body Care, Bath and Body Works and White Barn Home Fragrance, Bath and Body Works Hand Soap, Sanitizers and Aromatherapy, will be available at the store.

    According to Karumsi, “The Indian stores are 100 percent replica of our stores in global markets. What we do is that we launch with the consistent assortment and then as we learn more about the customer we fill the store accordingly. About 80 percent of our range stays the same globally and rest 20 percent keeps on changing based on preferences.”

    “We are very price competitive and we have 1,500 SKUs at Bath & Body Works,” added Tushar Ved, President Major Brands India.

    Launched in 1990, the brand’s portfolio today comprises over 200 different private label scents, including the iconic Sweet Pea and Japanese Cherry Blossom, award-winning A Thousand Wishes and soothing Eucalyptus Spearmint as well as seasonal new releases. At Bath & Body Works, customers are invited to sample luxurious lotions, hand soaps, fragrances and more to discover their favourites.

    “All our products are made in US and we have something for everybody,” said Garrison.

    Karumsi added, “We are eyeing mist and candles to be fastest moving categories.”

    Bath & Body Works, which has come to India with expansion plans of Rs 80 crore in the next two years, is looking forward to harness the reach of social media and influencer marketing in order to resonate with today’s millennials who consume news largely via digital platforms and are excited to share new discoveries.

    The brand’s immense portfolio and product categories will be presented in dynamic, new age digital formats, with engaging content to not only reach out to users familiar with the brand, but to also engage with and induce experimentation with newer audiences across demographics.

    “We have no immediate plans to go online in India. First we want to make connections with the consumers and once the customers experiences and understand the product then it will be easy to go online,” said Karumsi.

    Bath & Body Works will be opening its next two stores in Delhi – Ambience Mall Gurugram and Vasant Kunj and then will be heading to Mumbai.

    “Our strategy has been to own a market, understand how the model works and then enter the other regions,” revealed Garrison.

    After Mumbai, we also plan to open Bath & Body Works stores in the best malls of Bengaluru and Chennai. We are looking to open 50 Bath & Body Works stores in 5 years but we will follow a cluster strategy,” added Ved.

    Over the past few years, Major Brands has been instrumental in introducing blockbuster brands to the Indian market like Aldo, Aldo Accessories, Charles & Keith, Inglot, La Senza, Promod, Beverly Hills Polo Club, Call it Spring and New Balance.

    “Since 2001, Major Brands has continually introduced a selection of premium brands from across the world, giving Indian shoppers the best of high street in the country. With the launch of Bath & Body Works, the most awaited brand in India, we are sure our customers will love the experience of the line of bath and body products including home fragrances. We are excited to add yet another international category leader to our portfolio. The market size of India’s beauty, cosmetic and grooming market is expected to reach US $20 billion by 2025 from the current US $6.5 billion. A rising aspiration among Indians to look better, groomed to feel good has led to this market’s rapid growth of more than 42 percent in the last five years,” said Ved.

    In keeping with international formats, the Bath & Body Works stores in India will showcase latest trends as well as the newest, freshest fragrances for body, hand, and home, giving consumers exciting, luxurious, and indulgent new experiences.

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  • Amazon India launches 3rd fulfilment centre in Bengal

    Amazon India launches 3rd fulfilment centre in Bengal

    Spread over 140,000 square feet with over 600,000 cubic feet of storage space, this centre is one of the five announced for 2018.

    “We have been consistently investing in our infrastructure and delivery network, so that we can increase our speed of delivery.

    “With the launch of our third fulfilment centre in the state, we strongly believe that we will be able to better serve our customers with one-day and two-day delivery,” its Vice President (Customer Fulfilment) Akhil Saxena said, adding Prime membership in the state has been on the rise.

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  • Starbucks debuts nitro cold brew in India

    Starbucks debuts nitro cold brew in India

    Starbucks has introduced a new generation of coffee in India with Nitro Cold Brew on tap. Using the highest quality coffee beans, the Nitro Cold Brew unfolds an irresistible coffee experience where time meets texture. With each cup 48 hours in the making, the Nitro Cold Brew is a super-smooth, naturally sweet coffee that cascades from the tap with a velvety, creamy texture which customers can see and taste.

    Nitro Cold Brew marks Starbucks next chapter of coffee innovation offering customers an elevated coffee experience through its newest take on its signature Cold Brew. In today’s fast‐paced world where everything is instant and on‐demand, Starbucks Nitro Cold Brew allows customers to enjoy small-batch, slow-steeped coffee like they’ve never tasted it before. After handcrafting the Cold Brew recipe, baristas perfect the pour by pulling the tap and allowing the Cold Brew coffee to mix with nitrogen to deliver an entirely new cold coffee experience. Nitro Cold Brew is cold right out of the tap and served unsweetened without ice.

    Starbucks also offers the refreshing Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew. Made with Starbucks® Cold Brew over ice and topped with a house-made vanilla sweet cream, the sweet cream floats on top of the beverage before slowly cascading down for an eye‐catching effect.

    “At Starbucks, innovation is always brewing. We take great pride in partnering with customers in their journey of coffee exploration. We are pleased to introduce Starbucks® Nitro Cold Brew in India, taking our Cold Brew craft to a whole new level,” said Veetika Deoras, Head – Marketing, Category and Digital at Tata Starbucks Pvt. Ltd. “It is a sensorial coffee drinking experience, and one that has the potential to redefine the language of coffee in India.”

    Starbucks Cold Brew is available across all Starbucks stores in India. Starbucks Nitro Cold Brew is currently exclusively available in 5 stores across India: Mumbai, Kamala Mills | Bangalore, Jaya Nagar | Delhi, Green Park | Noida, DLF Mall of India | Kolkata, Park Mansions.

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  • Walmart India gets half of biz via out-of-store sale channels

    Walmart India gets half of biz via out-of-store sale channels

    US retail major Walmart is now getting nearly half of its business through non-store or out-of-store sales channels, which include B2B e-commerce, associates’ driven sales and call centres, a company official has said.

    According to a report: While, the rest half of its business still comes through in-store walk-ins, where its members visit its stores and purchase.

    Besides, Walmart India is also going to open another fulfilment centre soon at Lucknow after opening its first such facility in Mumbai last year.

    “Almost 50 percent of our business comes through in-store walk-ins where our kirana members can discover new products and in-store demos also allow them to experience new food products made by our supplier partners, mostly small and regional,” Rajneesh Kumar, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Walmart India said.

    He further said: “We have been helping these kiranas through our B2B Omnichannel efforts and rest of the business comes through ‘out of store’ sales, which include B2B e-commerce, sales associates driven sales (who take the tablets carrying virtual stores to help take orders from our members) and call centres.”

    Walmart had started B2B e-commerce in July 2014 from its Lucknow and Hyderabad ‘Best Price Store’ and was later extended to other stores.

    It was among one of the first companies in India, which had adopted the omni channel retail system by integrating online and offline formats here.

    “This way not only our members are able to focus on running their stores more efficiently and serving their customers better but also get the convenience of placing orders from their stores, easy payment solutions and doorstep delivery, while growing their business,” Kumar further said.

    Walmart, as per its strategy to strengthen presence in the Indian market and also compete head-on with global rival Amazon, had last month announced a mega deal to pick up 77 percent stake in Flipkart.

    Walmart India, a wholly owned subsidiary of Walmart Inc, operates 21 cash and carry stores here under the brand name of ‘Best Price’ in 9 states across the country.

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