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Tag: india

  • AirAsia India Offers All-Inclusive Tickets

    AirAsia India Offers All-Inclusive Tickets

    Ahead of the Holi festival next week, AirAsia India has announced a promotional offer, selling tickets starting Rs. 1,499. Bookings for this AirAsia India offer are open till March 12, 2017, the airline – which is a joint venture between Tata Sons and Malysian carrier AirAsia – said on its website. AirAsia India’s special fares scheme is applicable on travel till June 30, 2017, said the airline, which competes with the likes of Air India, IndiGo, Jet Airways and SpiceJet in the domestic market.

    Under the special all-inclusive tickets programme, aimed at the upcoming Holi festival, tickets between Hyderabad and Bengaluru are being offered from Rs. 1,499 – the lowest under the scheme.

    “Celebrate the festival of colours with your loved ones in #Srinagar, #Pune & other awesome destinations!” AirAsia India said in a tweet.

    Some of the other routes covered under the offer include Imphal-Guwahati from Rs. 1,999, Pune-Jaipur from Rs. 2,999, and Pune-Bengaluru and Visakhapatnam-Bengaluru from Rs. 2,399, as per the AirAsia India website.

    Discounted fares from various airlines have spurred strong growth in air travel market in India. The country’s domestic air passenger traffic zoomed 25.13 per cent to 95.79 lakh last month, data from aviation regulator DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) showed.

    Rival airlines IndiGo, SpiceJet and Jet Airways had also announced discounted tariffs recently.

    Also, AirAsia India is likely to commence international operations from the second half of next calendar year. “We will have 14 aircraft in the fleet within this year, depending on the business performance. And, we will add another six planes by the middle of the next year. Then we will get to international operations,” its CEO Amar Abrol had said earlier.

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  • AirAsia to introduce fourth daily flight to Trichy from Kuala Lumpur

    AirAsia to introduce fourth daily flight to Trichy from Kuala Lumpur

    Low-fare carrier AirAsia will introduce its fourth direct daily flight between Kuala Lumpur and Trichy from April 26th.

    This will make the Tamil Nadu town the receiver of the highest number of flights in India from the Malaysian capital.

    The Trichy-Kuala Lumpur-Trichy sector will now have 46 weekly flights–four daily by Air Asia and 18 weekly by Malindo Air.

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  • AirAsia plans to restart expansion, fly international by 2018

    AirAsia plans to restart expansion, fly international by 2018

    AirAsia India, which is in the midst of a court case about foreign control and investments, plans to restart expansion and fly international by next year after regulatory authorities gave it tacit approval last month.

    Aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in a 8 February ruling that it would not terminate AirAsia’s licence as the airline had not violated any rules. The order, however, noted that the airline’s budget, airfares, ancillary services and aircraft leasing among other things are approved by the parent AirAsia Group in Malaysia under the brand licence agreement signed between AirAsia India and AirAsia Group.

    “The issues continue but the DGCA ruling on the brand license agreement was quite in our favour. We have always maintained it. It’s not new to us, it’s probably new to the competition,” AirAsia India chief executive Amar Abrol said at a media roundtable in Delhi on Thursday. “We are again getting ready for the second wave of growth.”

    The Bengaluru-based airline plans to expand its fleet to 14 Airbus A320 planes by October from the current eight. These will be used planes and not from the AirAsia Group, Abrol stressed.

    Planes previously used by US-based Frontier Airlines will be leased from the aircraft lessor who owns the plane. The airline will fly largely between metros and tier-II cities as it expands, Abrol said, adding that “the overall strategy is route dominance rather than getting hammered everywhere”.

    Abrol said a new team was coming in to work on the international plans. “There is a project team coming in to get us ready for international. It will take us at least one year to get to international—so if not summer, autumn next year (we will fly international),” he said.

    The airline will focus on South-east Asia, where it has several sister airlines under the AirAsia group providing ready infrastructure. “We literally don’t have to do anything we just have to land up in Kuala Lumpur… airports ready, staff is already there. It’s all there,” Abrol said.

    AirAsia Indonesia is starting Bali-Mumbai flights, AirAsia Thailand is flying into Kolkata, AirAsia Malaysia is flying into Bhubaneswar and AirAsia X is looking at increasing its frequency to Delhi.

    It only makes sense to marry the traffic so AirAsia India will tie-up with these airlines and make its network in such a way that they can sell common tickets, he said. For example a passenger can buy a Jaipur-Bengaluru-Kuala Lumpur ticket, where AirAsia India does the first leg and AirAsia Malaysia the second, he explained.

    The sister airlines and AirAsia will gain 12% traffic each after these agreements are in place, Abrol estimated.

    To be sure, the airline is yet to make profits and Abrol did not specify when it expects to become profitable. He said the next fiscal will be an investment year for the firm, and while the airline has already received two rounds of funding since inception, it will look at more funding at the end of the year if required as it goes international.

    Tony Fernandes-promoted AirAsia Bhd, through AirAsia Investment Ltd, owns 49% in AirAsia India. The Tata group owns 49%, and two directors of AirAsia India—S. Ramadorai and R. Venkataramanan (both Tata loyalists)—hold the rest.

    Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy, who sought the quashing of the airline’s licence by the court, told Mint on 10 February that he was not convinced by the DGCA ruling and would pursue his case in the courts.

    Abrol said he hoped 2017 would be better than 2016.

    “By the end of the year we will have 1,800 people working for us. I am sure the government will take cognizance of investments, Make in India, people employed,” he said.

  • Samsonite Asia heightens focus on China

    Samsonite Asia heightens focus on China

    Branded luggage-maker Samsonite Asia aims to make China its biggest market within five years, pinning its hopes on eCommerce and social media to fuel growth.

    While sales in China now account for more than 10 per cent of its total revenue, Samsonite CEO Ramesh Tainwala says they are likely to double by 2022, thanks to the explosion in online shopping and a wealthier population keen to travel.

    “Now that 20 per cent of our Chinese businesses come from online, we expect the number to grow by about a third in a couple of years,” he says.

    Global net sales in 2015 reached US$2.43 billion for the Indian company.

    Virtual stores on B2C sites JD and Tmall have claimed 60 per cent of Samsonite’s online business in China. Its luggage is also sold through the digital outlets of shopping malls and department stores.

    Samsonite will open its own direct online shopping portal this year aimed at more sophisticated buyers who want bigger-ticket items via the brand rather than a third party.

    First-half sales last year remained flat for Samsonite, according to its interim report, partly because of sluggish performance in China as consumers forsake department stores for online retail.

    Samsonite president for China and the Philippines Frank Ma says the company spares no effort in using social media campaigns to guide traffic to brick-and-mortar stores. For example, followers of Samsonite’s official WeChat account are given a discount coupon when they sign up for promotional events in shopping centres.

    Ma says content marketing helps attracts customers and adds to another 5 per cent to its offline sales.

    Seven of Samsonite’s nine brands have been introduced to China, ranging from the entry-level American Tourister to the newly acquired Tumi, which targets high-end business travellers.

  • India debuts interoperable QR code payment system

    India debuts interoperable QR code payment system

    The Reserve Bank of India and the Indian Banks Association have launched Bharat QR, the world’s first interoperable QR code acceptance solution.

    The solution was developed by Mastercard in collaboration with National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and Visa. American Express will also adopt these payment standards.

    Bharat QR aims to provide both merchants and consumers with seamless and secure method for payment transactions.

    For consumers, Bharat QR eliminates the need to use multiple QR codes from different payment networks when transacting with any merchant. Similarly merchants need only display one single QR code at the storefront or through their respective acquiring bank’s mobile application.

    The Bharat QR solution will be rolled out across the nation in phases by banks, with the aim to foster adoption by 57 million small and micro businesses due to the purported low cost of deployment.

    A number of banks in India stand ready to deploy BharatQR, including Axis Bank, Bank of Baroda, Bank of India, Citi Union Bank, Development Credit Bank, Karur Vysya Bank, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, IDBI Bank, RBL Bank, State Bank of India, Union Bank of India, Vijaya Bank and Yes Bank.

    Several other banks are also at various stages of implementation.

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  • India’s Jio introduces its first price plans

    India’s Jio introduces its first price plans

    Disruptive new Indian 4G operator Reliance Jio’s free services offer will soon be coming to an end, but the operator has announced an aggressive new pricing strategy in a bid to retain as many of its new customers as possible.

    Jio launched nationwide services in September last year, but made all services available for free as a promotional offer. The company subsequently extended this promotion until March 31.

    The aggressive marketing strategy has helped Jio sign up new customers at a record rate – the operator recently revealed it is nearing 100 million customers. But a number of these are expected to port out once the free services period comes to an and, due in part to the current patchy nature of Jio services.

    In an attempt to limit churn, Jio has introduced a new Prime offer that will take effect from April 1. Under this offer, customers will be able to pay a one-time 99 rupee ($1.48) fee for prime membership, and another 303 rupees a month for unlimited voice calls and 30GB of allocated data.

    Jio’s rivals, which have already been feeling the impact of the operator’s entry into the market and been pushed into making their offers more competitive, may find themselves needing to further cut prices or increase allocations in response.

    This could put even more pressure on a hotly-competitive telecoms market and accelerate the consolidation trend.

  • Vodafone India, Idea may announce a merger soon

    Vodafone India, Idea may announce a merger soon

    Vodafone India and Idea Cellular are reportedly on the verge of finalizing the terms of a major merger that would create India’s largest operator by subscribers.

    The operators are expected to finalize the agreement within a month and could be ready to announce a deal by the end of the week.

    Vodafone Group has brought in former India head Martin Pieters to work on the proposed merger, according to the report.

    But the proposed merger could be complicated by the fact that Indian regulations prohibit an operator from holding more than 25% of the total spectrum allocated in a single circle, 50% of the spectrum from a single band within a circle and 50% revenue or subscriber market share.

    The operators may therefore need to agree to divest certain spectrum and other assets to secure regulatory approval.

    A merger between the two operators would create an entity with a revenue market share of around 40% and a subscriber base of over 380 million, propelling the combined company ahead of current market leader Bharti Airtel.

    India’s crowded mobile industry is going through a consolidation phase, triggered by intensifying competition as a result of the entry into the market of disruptive and deep-pocketed newcomer Reliance Jio Infocomm.

    Aircel and Reliance Communications are reportedly also negotiating a merger, and Telenor India is said to be attempting to get in on the deal to make it a three-way merger. The combined company would be the second largest operator in the market behind Airtel, or the third largest in the event of a Vodafone-Idea merger

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  • Zara, Gap, Body Shop slash Indian retail prices

    Zara, Gap, Body Shop slash Indian retail prices

    Global brands like Gap, The Body Shop and Zara are slashing Indian retail prices to stay competitive in the heavily price-sensitive market.

    UK cosmetic brand The Body Shop slashed prices across categories in India by 20 to 30 per cent last week, and US fashion brand Gap is looking to have up to 40 per cent of its products made locally, which should allow prices to drop by 10 to 15 per cent.

    “The process has started,” says CEO J Suresh of Gap’s India franchisee Arvind Lifestyle Brands. The Indian-made items will be introduced next year.

    The Body Shop India COO Shriti Malhotra says its price cuts will make its products more accessible.

    Spanish fast-fashion brand Zara is also looking at slashing its prices to bring them closer to Swedish rival H&M.

    It quotes experts as saying price cutting is one of the most effective ways to boost sales and market share in India, particularly in highly competitive and fast-growing segments.

    “Most brands strategically lower prices for the value-conscious Indian consumer,” says CEO Devangshu Dutta of retail consultancy firm Third Eyesight.

    Inditex-owned fashion brand Zara reduced prices by up 15 per cent when H&M entered the Indian market in October 2015 with its global strategy of aggressive pricing. The move helped Zara record 17 per cent sales growth last year.

    When Arvind Lifestyle Brands took over the business of beauty and wellness retailer Sephora from former franchisee DLF Brands in September 2015, its first move was price correction. “We looked at pricing in Dubai and Singapore and kept it in the band of 5 to 10 per cent lower than that,” says Sephora India CEO Vivek Bali.

  • Future of DKNY India in doubt

    Future of DKNY India in doubt

    DKNY India may quit the market after failing to generate sustainable profits.

    While mall executives and DKNY store managers have confirmed the exit, India franchisee DLF Brands has denied the US fashion brand is completely leaving the country, says the Economic Times.

    DLF Brands head Timmy Sarna says the company has closed “a few” stores but will continue to run four outlets, all in DLF-owned malls in the National Capital Region.

    He says two loss-making stores have been closed, one in Kolkata and the other in Mumbai.
    However, Fashion Network says sources have told it that the DKNY outlet in DLF’s Mall of India in Noida is closing.

    It quotes another source as saying the outlet in DLF Place Mall in Saket is closing next month.

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  • Indonesia to attend International Yoga Festival in India

    Indonesia to attend International Yoga Festival in India

    Through its Wonderful Indonesia brand, Indonesia will promote its vast tourism potential at the annual International Yoga Festival, due to be held in the Indian city of Rishikesh on March 1-7, 2017.

    To this end, the Indonesian Tourism Ministrys Deputy for International Marketing I Gde Pitana will be sent to head a delegation attending the event, the ministry noted in a press statement here on Tuesday.

    Pitana said promoting the archipelagos tourism sector in this “City of the Divine” of India is a strategic move, as Indonesia also has several interesting destinations for practicing the art of yoga, and India is a potential market, which has yet to be tapped optimally.

    At present, with its growing number of outbound tourists, India has become an important contributor of foreign visitors to Indonesia, he pointed out.

    Several factors that may have attracted them to visit Indonesia are related to the two nations cultural similarities and the archipelagos diverse tourist destinations. The increasing trend of Indian travelers visiting the archipelago is also driven by Garuda Indonesias Mumbai-Jakarta flight.

    With its diverse tourist destinations, Indonesia has plenty to offer to Indian travelers. Hence, it is necessary to implement various promotional strategies to attract more outbound tourists from the country, Pitana stated.

    “One of our efforts is promoting the Wonderful Indonesia brand in India,” he revealed.

    For the International Yoga Festival, Indonesia is sending a delegation, setting up a pavilion, as well as displaying and distributing the Wonderful Indonesia promotional materials, Pitana remarked.

    The Tourism Ministry is offering support to singer Ayu Laksmi from Balis Svara Semesta (Sound of the Universe) to perform at the worlds largest yoga festival in which yoga lovers from 110 countries are expected to participate.

    Laksmi and Semesta will perform at the opening and closing sessions of this annual event. During the festival, Indra Udayana, an artist and envoy of peace, and yoga instructor Anjasmara will also join the performers.

    “This event is expected to help boost the image of Indonesias tourism industry to offer greater exposure in India. This is indeed a good opportunity to attract more outbound tourists from India and other countries,” he noted.

    Meanwhile, the Tourism Ministrys Deputy Assistant of the Asia Pacific Market Development Vinsensius Jemadu stated that an awareness campaign package of the Wonderful Indonesia brand will be prepared for Indias electronic media.

    “We shall also dispatch a Wonderful Indonesia team and prepare attractive souvenirs for the visitors at the Indonesia Pavilion,” he noted.

    Bali will be highlighted at the event, as it is the main destination offered to Indians who have known the resort island as a popular place for yoga and spas.

    Promoting the Wonderful Indonesia brand in India is expected to strengthen the positive image of the archipelagos tourism sector and to attract more Indian travelers to visit Indonesia, Jemadu remarked.

    The Indonesian Tourism Ministry has noted that the biggest contributors of foreign tourists to Indonesia in 2015 were Singapore, with 1,571,982 visitors; Malaysia, with 1,247,270; China, with 1,141,330; Australia, with 1,051,141; Japan, with 528,465; South Korea, with 359,468; India, with 293,415; the UK, with 280,198; the US, with 263,429; and Taiwan, with 211,528.

    Referring to the countries of origin and number of foreign tourist arrivals during the period between January and October 2016, the five main contributors were Singapore, with 1,177,695 visitors; China, with 1,221,422; Australia, with 1,011,077; Malaysia, with 989,739; and Japan, with 434,352.

    As one of the largest economies of the G-20, India is regarded as a huge potential source of foreign tourists.

    The Ministry of Tourism is targeting 15 million international tourist arrivals in 2017.

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  • Gemfields introduces Faberge to India

    Gemfields introduces Faberge to India

    Faberge, owned by UK emeralds and rubies mining company Gemfields, is the latest in a growing list of global luxury brands to enter India.

    It is following on the heels of such brands as Burberry and Rolex as India’s economic expansion spawns more billionaires than in Japan, the traditional bastion of ultra-rich in Asia, reports ET Retail.

    Faberge, an ultra-luxury jeweller known for its Easter eggs and tracing its roots back to Russia in the days it had royalty, will set up in Delhi and Mumbai, selling its products through select showings for the uber-rich.
    “India and other Asian markets have tremendous potential,” says Faberge CEO Sean Gilbertson. “Asia has largely been an unexplored area for us.”

    Faberge, which retails through 39 multi-brand outlets including Harrods and Mayfair, plans to hold more trunk shows in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore.

    Products being sold in India include coloured gemstones, emeralds, rubies and sapphires, and timepieces including the award-winning Lady Compliquee peacock watch. Prices range from US$5000 to $3 million.
    Founded in 1842, the company was founded by Peter Carl Faberge, who was official goldsmith to the Russian Imperial Court.

    In the quarter to the end of December, Faberge’s sales jumped by 48 per cent over the same period in 2015, says Gemfields, while the average selling price per piece increased by 12 per cent.

    Faberge has not been affected by the overall slowdown in the luxury market, says Gilbertson, as it deals with a smaller clientele with an average selling price “extraordinarily high compared with most other brands”.

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  • Amazon India proposes $500m food venture

    Amazon India proposes $500m food venture

    Amazon India has applied to the government to invest US$500 million in a wholly owned venture that will allow the US eCommerce giant to stock locally produced food items and sell them online.

    If successful, it would become the first foreign retailer to enter the segment.

    Amazon already has an eCommerce marketplace in India, but while 100 per cent overseas capital is permitted for such platforms, they cannot sell products of their own. Last year, the government allowed for 100 per cent foreign investment in the retailing of processed foods made in India.

    Amazon has filed its application with the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP), which handles foreign investment in retailing and e­Commerce. The company plans to invest $500 million over five years and could start selling locally produced food items within six months of obtaining approval, says an insider.

    “We are excited by the government’s continued efforts to encourage foreign direct investment in India for a stronger food-supply chain,” says an Amazon spokesperson. “We have sought an approval to invest and partner with the government in achieving this vision.”

    Only Indian grocery delivery companies Big­Basket and Grofers have applied under
    the category, prompting the government to invite companies including CP Foods (Thailand), Heinz, Nestle and Walmart to provide feedback and investment plans.

    This followed the minister for food-processing industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal visiting London with a team of officials last year to meet representatives of such companies as Cobra Beer, Harrods, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s and Tesco to drum up support for the policy.

    Amazon’s current online platform is open to Indian-­owned entities, and similar platforms are run by Flipkart, the country’s largest eCommerce company, and Snapdeal.

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  • Global logistics executives pick India as leading investment spot

    Global logistics executives pick India as leading investment spot

    Agility Logistics has launched the 2017 Agility Emerging Markets Logistics Index, an annual survey of more than 800 logistics professionals. The Index provides an annual snapshot of industry sentiment and a ranking of the world’s 50 leading emerging markets by size, business conditions, infrastructure and transport connections.

    Logistics executives pick India is their top investment destination and say the health of China’s economy is likely to set the tone for emerging markets overall in 2017 in a new supply chain industry survey.

    China, the world’s second-largest economy, again topped the 50-country ranking. India climbed past the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to the second spot, its highest-ever Index ranking. Malaysia at fourth and Indonesia at sixth were unchanged from a year ago.

    In the survey, industry executives identified India as the emerging market with the most potential as a logistics market and as the place their companies are most likely to invest in the next five years. 23 percent of survey respondents said passage of a key tax reform made their companies more likely to invest in India.

    “India’s economy has grown faster than any in the world over the past two years,” said Chris Price, Asia-Pacific CEO of Agility Global Integrated Logistics. He added, “Tax and economic reforms have added to enthusiasm about India, although that optimism has been tempered somewhat in the short-term by the government’s surprise decision to remove large bank notes from circulation and encourage broader use of cashless forms of payment.”

    76 percent of survey respondents said China’s economy is slowing, but only 17 percent said the slowdown is significantly hindering the transport and logistics sector. Nearly 66 percent said a slowing Chinese economy will not alter their business or expansion plans in China.

    Price said, “Vietnam, India and other countries have lured away some production with cheaper wages and incentives,” He continued, “But the e-commerce revolution in China is driving huge inbound freight volumes and reflects a healthy shift toward growth that’s balanced between exports and domestic demand.”

    The Index, in its eighth year, ranks emerging markets countries by factors that make them attractive to logistics providers, freight forwarders, shipping lines, air cargo carriers and distributors.

    “Emerging markets continue to deliver the highest growth rates in the world, but as links in the global supply chain, countries can be extremely hard to evaluate,” said Essa Al-Saleh, CEO of Agility Global Integrated Logistics. “The Index and the survey are useful when it comes to identifying the relative strengths and weaknesses of individual markets.”

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  • Trai to allow Jio to continue free data offer

    Trai to allow Jio to continue free data offer

    Indian telecommunications regulator Trai has determined to allow disruptive new market entrant Reliance Jio Infocomm to continue with its free data offer, despite objections from rivals.

    Trai has rejected petitions from incumbent operator Bharti Airtel as well as Idea Cellular calling for the regulator to prohibit Reliance Jio from maintaining what it calls a predatory promotional offer.

    Indian regulations prevent operators from running a promotional campaign for longer than three months, and Reliance Jio has now been offering free services to subscribers for longer than this time, having recently decided to extend the offer to March 31.

    But to circumvent the restriction, Jio is calling its current promotional offer the Happy New Year offer, and has argued that this was distinct from its initial Welcome offer.

    Trai has now sided with Jio, finding that the new offer is a distinct promotion and cannot be considered an extension of the earlier offer. On this basis, Jio will be allowed to continue to offer free services.

    Jio’s aggressive marketing is triggering a fresh price war in India, which could have a significant impact on an already hurting industry. The report cites an executive from one of the big three operators stating that if the price war continues, there will be job losses.

    Operators are meanwhile exploring consolidation in order to survive in the strictly competitive environment. Indian media recently reported of a four-way merger between Aircel, Reliance Communications, Telenor India and Sistema Shyam Teleservices (SSTL).

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  • First ever sale kicks off on AirAsia India social channels

    First ever sale kicks off on AirAsia India social channels

    Riding on the increasing digital penetration in the Country, AirAsia India is launching its first ever ‘Big ASS’ Sale on its social channels at 2130 hours on Thursday, 2 nd February 2017.

    Here’s the chance for travel enthusiasts to pick up their bags, without thinking twice and head out to their favourite destinations immediately! By immediately, we mean as early as NOW till 30 th April 2017.

    Unable to hold on to your excitement? Don’t lose time! between 3 rd & 5 th Feb 2017 and get going! What’s more thrilling than indulging yourself in an unexpected holiday? It is the amazing fares that come with it! Your Goa dreams are finally coming true – fly to Goa from Bengaluru or Hyderabad at INR 899 (All-inclusive).

    It’s the perfect time to plan those long weekends coming up in Feb, March and April! There’s so much for you to explore in India and beyond – Kuala Lumpur & Bangkok. AirAsia India currently flies to 11 destinations with its two hubs in Bengaluru & New Delhi covering Chandigarh, Jaipur, Guwahati, Imphal, Pune, Goa, Visakhapatnam, Kochi and Hyderabad. The airline will start flying to Srinagar & Bagdogra form 19 February 2017.

    Keep yourself updated with AirAsia’s latest promotions and activities via Twitter

    (twitter.com/AirAsiaIN) and (facebook.com/AirAsiaIndia).

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