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Tag: india

  • McDonald’s McMasala Breakfast Menu Options Meet ‘Meh’ Response in India

    McDonald’s McMasala Breakfast Menu Options Meet ‘Meh’ Response in India

    McDonald’s India has added two new breakfast burgers, the “Masala Dosa Brioche” and “Masala Scrambled Eggs” burgers, to its product line-up to woo local customers amid rising competition from Domino’s and Burger King.

    The two new products will be served alongside more familiar fare such as vegetarian and non-vegetarian burgers, waffles, hotcakes and hash browns.
    The Masala Dosa Brioche burger features a grilled vegetable patty topped with molaga podi chili sauce, a flavor popular in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. The other burger features spiced scrambled eggs on a bun.

    The expanded menu has been rolled out across 44 restaurants, starting with Mumbai on January 13. Items on the McBreakfast menu cost between 30 rupees ($0.50) for a hash brown and 213 rupees ($3) for a meal.

    These items will also be served through McDelivery and takeaway kiosks. The menu will gradually be introduced across India.

    “Breakfast convenience on the go will increase as more people enter the segment. As a western quick service restaurant, we are going to grow the Indian breakfast market dramatically,” Amit Jatia, vice-chairman of Westlife Development, which runs over 240 McDonald’s restaurants throughout western and southern India, told the media.

    McDonald’s first launched its breakfast menu in India back in 2010. Six years later, the fast-food chain is anticipating a good response from its fans. However, initial reactions to the “Masala Dosa Burger” were lukewarm on Twitter, as well as outside its restaurants in Delhi’s Connaught Place where the product has yet to be launched.

    ​A regular McDonald customer told Sputnik, “If I have to east Masala Dosa, why would I come to McDonald’s. I will go to one of those south Indian cuisine restaurants.” Yet another said, “it is worth trying but it is not exactly a masala dosa, which is served with coconut chutney and sambar (a curry).”

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  • Travel with AirAsia for Rs 99

    Travel with AirAsia for Rs 99

    Budget carrier AirAsia India on Saturday announced special low fares one way to select destinations across its network in the country.

    “Starting at Rs 99 one-way, the special fares can be booked between January 16 and January 22 for travelling from May 1 to February 6, 2018,” said the airline in a statement.

    The airline operates services to 11 destinations — Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Goa, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Imphal, Jaipur, Kochi, New Delhi, Pune and Vizag, with Bengaluru and New Delhi as its hubs.

    It has a fleet of eight Airbus A320 aircraft.

    The carrier’s parent company AirAsia is also offering promotional fares to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and Bangkok in Thailand from India on its Southeast Asia network, with one-way tickets priced at Rs 999.

    “The travel period for overseas destinations is from January 16 to July 31, and tickets can be booked between January 16 and January 22,” said the statement.

    The three-year-old low-cost airline is a joint venture between Tata Sons Ltd and AirAsia Berhad, with each holding 49 per cent equity stake, while its Chairman S Ramadorai and Director R Venkataraman hold 0.5 per cent and 1.5 per cent shareholding respectively.

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  • Airtel launches India’s first payments bank

    Airtel launches India’s first payments bank

    India’s largest mobile operator Bharti Airtel has launched the nation’s first payments bank in all 29 states, using its extensive network of retail stores as banking points.

    The operator will invest an initial 30 billion rupees ($440.3 million) to develop a pan-India banking network and payments ecosystem for its mobile customers. Customers’ mobile number will serve as their banking numbers.

    At launch, the Airtel Payments Bank will use Airtel’s retail network of around 250,000 stores in all 29 states of India as banking points. This is more than the total number of ATMs currently operating in the country.

    Airtel plans to develop a nationwide digital payments ecosystem consisting of over 5 million merchants. The operator said 1 million are already on board.

    The bank offers an interest rate of 7.25% per annum on deposits in saving accounts, and Airtel mobile customers will receive equivalent talk time for every rupee they deposit at the time of opening a savings account.

    Airtel also rolled out its payments bank app for Android and iOS, accessible via the MyAirtel app.

    “Just like mobile telephony leapfrogged traditional telecom networks to take affordable telecom services deep into the country, Airtel Payments Bank aims to take digital banking services to the unbanked over their mobile phones in a quick and efficient manner. Millions of Indians in rural areas will get their first formal banking experience with Airtel Payments Bank,” Bharti Enterprises chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal said.

    “We are fully committed to… Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s call to build a Digital India and lay a strong foundation for India’s transition to a cashless economy. Airtel Payments Bank will invest towards building a vast digital payments ecosystem with millions of merchants, and allow customers to make convenient cashless payments for good and services with their mobile phones.”

  • Forever 21 expand on activewear

    Forever 21 expand on activewear

    US fast-fashion retailer Forever 21 has launched its activewear collection globally at its stores and on its website.

    The Forever 21 Activewear Collection provides low-, medium- and high-impact pieces in an array of soft and neon hues.

    forever-21-activewear-collection-2

    The Fit and Run assortment is designed for high-impact activity and features bold prints, sweat resistance, matching sets and lightweight jackets.

    The Booty Sculpt assortment is designed for medium-impact activity and aims to highlight and define curves. It features black and charcoal hues, with high-waisted shorts, capris and leggings with power mesh inserts.

    forever-21-activewear-collection-1

    For low-impact activity, the Dance and Yoga assortment features soft tones and delicate styles such as loose-fitting joggers and wrap-around tops designed for layering.

    With its headquarters in Los Angeles, Forever 21 was founded in 1984 and has more than 730 stores in 48 countries including Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea and the Philippines.

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  • India could become cashless by 2020

    India could become cashless by 2020

    After the demonetisation of India’s 500 and 1,000 rupee banknotes, the Indian government is stressing the importance of digital transactions in a bid to help the country transform into a cashless economy.

    Government policy think-tank Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant has predicted that that cards, ATMs and POS machines would become redundant in the country by 2020.

    “India is in the midst of huge disruption in the world of both financial technology and in terms of social innovation (there is) huge innovation and this disruption will enable India to leapfrog and by 2020 my view is that in the next two-and-a-half years, India will make all its debit cards, credit cards, all ATM machines and POS machines totally irrelevant,” explained Kant.

    Kant was addressing a session on ‘Startups and innovations which have social impact in India’ at Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2017, a three-day mega event involving Indian diaspora.

    “They will all become redundant in India, and India will make this jump because every Indian will be doing his transaction just by using his thumb in thirty seconds.”

    Kant added that the government was pushing for digital payments in a big way and this was a huge disruption with several innovative methods. “India has created a back end in terms of biometric which will enable India,” he said, highlighting recently launched BHIM app and Aadhar enabled payment system initiatives.

    BHIM (Bharat Interface for Money) is a mobile app developed by National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) based on Unified Payment Interface (UPI) launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to faciliate e-payments directly through banks. It was launched as part of the 2016 Indian banknote demonetisation and cashless transaction drive. With the Aadhaar Payment App, another initiative of the government, allows users to make cashless transactions through multiple bank accounts.

    While India is the only country with a billion mobile and billion biometric, it is largely a cash driven economy.

    Kant added that despite demonetisation and focus on digital payments, only 2% to 2.5% of Indians pay taxes, so India needs to move from a non-formal to a formal economy.

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  • Tata Sky offers 600 channels and services

    Tata Sky offers 600 channels and services

    Tata Sky in India has unveiled its offerings #MaxJingalala of 600 channels and services, which is said to be the highest ever in the DTH sector.

    Tata Sky today is a market leader in HD channels along with maximum number of Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Bengali, Oriya, Punjabi and Assamese channels on offer.

    As of December 2016, Tata Sky is offering an unprecedented 76 HD (highest in the industry) and 483 SD channels. The bouquet of 31 value added services, 15 SD & HD movie platforms specials, 9 exclusive +1 channel feeds, have been a clear differentiator and a key focus area for the brand.

    “Consumers in India consider the number of channels provided by an entertainment platform to be among the second-biggest reason to make their purchase decisions,” said Malay Dikshit, Chief Communications Officer of Tata Sky. “Tata Sky is leaving no stone unturned to offer the maximum number of channels and services to its subscribers. Hence offering Sabse Zyada Manoranjan catering to every member of the family is key to the Tata Sky offering.”

    Throughout 2016, Tata Sky has pioneered in the Pay TV sector with offerings ranging from enabling internet browser application on the Set Top Box, introducing Kids Showcase, Bengali & Punjabi movies MAMI films, m-Visa payment option to first of its kind interactive services such as Comedy, Devotion, Music + and Gurus.

    The year also saw popular campaigns from Tata Sky such as Pyaar Jingalala (13 series ad films), Das Saal Jingalala and Family Jingalala (starring Amitabh Bachchan).

    Some of the other first-ever in the sector that Tata Sky has under its hat are the launch of 4k Set Top Box in India, Karaoke service on STB, unique interactive services Classroom and Smart manager and the world’s first Daily Recharge option.

  • Nvidia launches AI-focused incubator in India

    Nvidia launches AI-focused incubator in India

    American graphics processing unit (GPU) technology giant Nvidia has launched the Nvidia Inception program in India, in recognition of the country’s budding innovation ecosystem surrounding Artificial Intelligence (AI).

    Inception is a virtual incubator program to support startups with revolutionary ideas in AI. Members will receive a custom set of benefits, from hardware grants and marketing support to access to the latest Nvidia deep learning technologies and training with deep learning experts.

    The Inception Program was launched in India at the inaugural Nvidia Emerging Companies Summit India, part of the GPU Technology Conference (GTCx).

    The momentum around AI among Indian innovators is so significant that, at launch, the Inception Program already has close to 100 Indian startups as members.

    “Artificial Intelligence has gone from science fiction to reality thanks to a new computing model: GPU-accelerated deep learning,” Nvidia MD for South Asia Vishal Dhupar said.

    “We believe the next generation of breakthroughs in technology and business will be driven by the AI startup community. Young India’s aspirations, ideas and potential are global in scale, and we are excited to amplify the imagination and intelligence of the country’s brightest minds.”

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  • Vodafone said to consider merger for Indian unit

    Vodafone said to consider merger for Indian unit

    Vodafone is reportedly considering pursuing a merger of its Indian mobile business with a rival operator to help better compete in the intensively competitive market and survive the price war triggered by the entry of Reliance Jio Infocomm.

    The operator is looking into a potential merger with either Jio or major rival Idea Cellular, sources told.

    Vodafone has also put on hold plans to float Vodafone India on the Bombay Stock Exchange until the price war triggered by Jio’s entry is over, the sources said.

    Reliance Jio launched a pan-India 4G network on September 5 last year, offering effectively unlimited data, voice and SMS services as an initial promotion. The operator recently extended this free services promotion until March 31.

    This aggressive pricing strategy has helped the operator sign up over 58 million customers since launch – including 19.6 million in October, its first full month of operation – data from regulator Trai indicates.

    Besides incentivizing major operators such as Vodafone to pursue consolidation, smaller operators including Telenor India and Tata DoCoMo have been offering themselves for sale to the incumbents in response to the destructive price war, the report adds.

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  • DHL Express invests in infrastructure in Chandigarh

    DHL Express invests in infrastructure in Chandigarh

    Aimed at supporting the growth of export and import demands of customers especially SMB’s in the Northern region,  logistic service provider-DHL Express India, opened its new modern service facility in Chandigarh. The new facility will serve as a pick-up, delivery, sorting center etc., with a shipment handling capacity of over 100,000 shipments a year and will cater to the logistics needs of customers-based at Chandigarh and its vicinity namely Dera Bassi, Mohali, Panchkula, Zirakpur, Baddi, Parwanoo etc.

    Speaking to Business Standard, RS Subramanian, Senior Vice President & Managing Director, DHL Express said, “In the recent past, due to rapid industrialization, the tricity namely Chandigarh, Mohali, Panchkula and nearby areas like Zirakpur, Baddi, Parwanoo etc. has grown in prominence as an industrial hub. Through the service center facility, we are strengthening our infrastructure and capabilities to support our customers’ growing business. We will now be able to move shipments faster and with greater efficiency, providing superior service quality.

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  • Apple plans to set up own stores in India

    Apple plans to set up own stores in India

    Hoping to replicate its success in the Chinese market, Apple is looking at setting up its own wholly owned stores in India. Currently, the company sells its products through distributors such as Redington and Ingram Micro.

    India’s smartphone market has been witnessing significant growth. Earlier in 2016, India surpassed the United States as the second-largest smartphone market with 220 million smartphone users. While smartphone users still account for about 22% of the roughly 980 million mobile users in India, there is tremendous opportunity for growth over the next few years.

    Little wonder that the company is looking at India as a lucrative market for setting up production. Apple has also announced plans to make iPhones for the Indian market in Peenya, Bengaluru in association with Wistron, a Taiwanese OEM manufacturer for Apple. Production will start by April 2017.

    With local manufacturing facilities, Apple would be able to price its phones more competitively in India. The steep price for the phones is a deterrant for the price conscious Indian consumer. The phones attract 12.5% additional duty on imports.

    According to media reports, Foxconn, the biggest contract manufacturer for Apple has also been roped in to set up a manufacturing unit in India. Foxconn is adopting a model of setting up smartphone assembly lines in multiple cities across India, with a second iPhone facility coming up in Gurgaon.

    An announcement is likely to be made during the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2017 to be held on January 10 at Gandhinagar. Apple has announced that it would open its brand-owned stores, besides a 4,000-people facility in Hyderabad for its mapping unit.

    Reports suggest that the iPhone maker has requested for concessions such as relaxation in labelling rules, so it doesn’t have to print product info on its devices, and tax incentives in return for setting up a manufacturing unit in the country. The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) has forwarded Apple’s request to the Department of Revenue and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) in November. Government officials are yet deliberating on the company’s request.

    In May last year, Apple’s CEO Tim Cook visited India and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as key industry leaders like Sunil Bharti Mittal and veteran banker Chanda Kocchar. Apple also announced plans to set up a design and development accelerator to support Indian developers creating innovative applications for iOS and opened a new office in Hyderabad to accelerate maps development.

    During his May visit, Cook had discussed issues including manufacturing and setting up retail stores in the country with Modi.

    An inter-ministerial meeting, scheduled for next month, will discuss and deliberate certain incentives sought by tech-giant Apple Inc to set up a manufacturing unit in the country to be able to ‘make in India’. The meeting will be attended by senior officials from the ministries of finance, commerce, revenue, environment and forest, electronics and information technology, among others.

    The government, however, believes Apple shouldn’t seek additional support to set up manufacturing plants.

    “Several companies in India are manufacturing mobile phones in India. Nobody is asking for additional incentives. Currently, the government provides sufficient support to boost electronic manufacturing,” PTI quoted government sources as saying.

    The tech giant proposed to bring used smartphones and assemble them locally. This was rejected as it did not constitute the Make in India model envisioned by the government. Nevertheless, it got local sourcing norms relaxed from the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion to open its stores in the country.

    In a report published recently, government sources have said that it may agree to some of Apple’s demands for setting up a manufacturing unit in India if the maker of iPhones promises a huge investment and commits to generating hundreds of thousands of jobs.

  • Idea may offer unlimited free 4G data

    Idea may offer unlimited free 4G data

    India’s Idea Cellular is reportedly considering launching its own unlimited free 4G data offer to compete against disruptive new market entrant Reliance Jio Infocomm.

    Idea is considering offering unlimited data in certain plans with a validity of 1 to 1.5 years, potentially only for 4G customers, citing sources.

    According to the report, Idea may also introduce free incoming calls for international roaming and new loyalty plans for existing customers.

    The entry of pan-Indian 4G operator Reliance Jio has shaken up India’s telecoms market, due in part to the operator’s decision to offer free services for customers for its first six months of operation, ending in March 31.

    Rival operators have been pressed to respond with their own offers to attract and retain customers. Bharti Airtel recently introduced an offer for 3GB of extra data per month until December this year.

    In line with this development, Vodafone India has introduced a new prepaid plan offering unlimited 3G or 4G data roaming for an hour for just 16 rupees ($0.235). The company will also offer unlimited in-network local voice calls for an hour for 7 rupees. Vodafone’s 2G customers will be able to buy an hour of unlimited data for 5 rupees.

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  • Vodafone India hands Nokia managed services deal

    Vodafone India hands Nokia managed services deal

    Vodafone India has reportedly handed Nokia a multi-year contract extension worth €200 million ($210.5 million) covering the delivery of managed services in multiple telecoms circles.

    The scope of the contract has been expanded to cover managed services for 14 of India’s 22 telecoms circles, and field operations in the remaining eight, citing a person familiar with the matter.

    The source also said the contract has been expanded to cover the core as well as radio network.

    As part of the contract, Nokia will provide managed services, maintenance, system integration and other services. It represents a significant win for Nokia’s Indian operations, which cover the management of around 200,000 base stations across the country.

    Vodafone also recently awarded Huawei a three-year managed services contract worth between $180 million and $220 million covering three circles, as well as network operations in two circles, the report adds. In February, the operator contracted Ericsson to manage its fiber assets in 10 circles.

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  • AirAsia comes under CBI lens

    AirAsia comes under CBI lens

    A month after Enforcement Directorate registered a case of foreign exchange violations against AirAsia India, the Central Bureau of Investigation on Thursday claimed that it is also examining the matter in which there are allegations of fraudulent transactions of Rs 22 crore involving non-existent entities in India and Singapore.

    Sources in the CBI said that they have not registered a preliminary enquiry or regular case (FIR) in the matter but they are looking into the matter to see if it calls for registering a criminal case. “We are scrutinising the AirAsia documents right now,” said the CBI officer. When contacted, an AirAsia India spokesperson said, “AirAsia India has not heard from the CBI. Should we receive a call from CBI, AirAsia India will furnish all information that they seek. As you are aware, the airline has already put it in the public domain that it is pursuing the ongoing investigation. AirAsia India subsequently filed a private complaint with the Bangalore police in this regard.”

    The issue was flagged by ousted chairman of Tata Sons Cyrus Mistry soon after he was replaced on October 24. He wrote in his let ter to Tata Sons board and trustees of Tata Trusts that, “Board members and trustees are also aware that in the case of AirAsia, ethical concerns have been raised with respect to certain transactions as well as the overall prevailing culture in the organization. A recent forensics investigation revealed fraudulent transactions of Rs 22 crore involving non-existent parties in India and Singapore.”

    Presently, ED is probing the matter under FEMA (foreign exchange management act) and has already sought documents from the company. It is looking into a specific transaction of over Rs 12 crore, out of Rs 22 crore, made to a Singaporean firm.

     Mistry had alleged that “executive trustee Mr Venkataraman, who is on the board of Air Asia and also a shareholder in the company , considered these transactions as non-material and did not encourage further study”. It was only at the insistence of the independent directors, one of whom immediately submitted his resignation, that the board decided to belatedly file a FIR, Mistry had said in his letter.
    He claimed it was Tata who had completed negotiations with AirAsia, but early in his tenure as the chairman of Tata Sons he (Mistry) was asked to table a proposal for the JV with AirAsia at a Tata Sons board meeting. In 2013, Tata Sons had joined hands with Malaysian carrier AirAsia and Arun Bhatia’s Telestra Tradeplace to start low cost carrier AirAsia India. The carrier had to wait for nine months before taking off.
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  • Indian telcos square off over interconnection rates

    Indian telcos square off over interconnection rates

    Indian operators Bharti Airtel and Vodafone are squaring off with Reliance Jio Infocomm and Tata Teleservices in court over regulator Trai’s recent decision to fix interconnection rates.

    Trai recently set interconnection rates at zero for landline to wireless calls and 14 paise ($0.002) per minute for wireless to wireless calls. Airtel and Vodafone subsequently filed a court challenge to this decision.

    Now Reliance Jio and Tata Teleservices have filed court briefs opposing this legal challenge, The Telegraph India reported.

    Incumbent operators Airtel and Vodafone are opposing the order on the grounds that it unfairly penalises larger players. In Vodafone’s court filing in November, the operator said the regulations are illegal, arbitrary and beyond the functions of Trai to implement.

    The operators have also argued that the order is unfair because they should be compensated for rival operators using their infrastructure. Airtel is meanwhile calling on Trai to fix termination rates on a cost-based and work-done basis.

    Reliance Jio is a disruptive newcomer to the market, currently offering services for free as a promotional offer to lure customers from rival networks, while Tata Teleservices is one of the market’s smaller operators.

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  • Mumbai Duty Free partners with Pernod in BMW drive

    Mumbai Duty Free partners with Pernod in BMW drive

    Consumers at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport T2 who spend more than US$80 on Pernod Ricard’s portfolio – including Scotch whiskies Chivas Regal, Royal Salute, The Glenlivet and Ballantine’s – can enter into the lucky draw by completing a coupon. One winner will then take home a BMW X1 Expedition car.

    “At Pernod Ricard, we have always believed in delivering luxury experiences to our consumers at various touch points,” said Nodjame Fouad, marketing director, Travel Retail Asia Pacific.

    “This promotion at the Duty Free store of Mumbai international airport is one such touch point where consumers can enjoy our luxury brands and experiences.”

    Manishi Sanwal, Mumbai Duty Free managing director, added: “In our constant quest to offer a greater value to our customers, we bring back the very successful ‘Win a BMW Car’ promotion yet again in this festive period of December to January.

    “We are extremely delighted to have partner brands like Pernod Ricard, who are always willing to support with greater excitement and engagement in their promotions.”

    The Taste of Luxury campaign is live now in the retailer’s T2 store and runs until 31 January 2017.

    Mumbai Duty Free is a joint venture between DFS Group and Flemingo International.

    Last year, the retailer partnered with Pernod Ricard to open the first Luxe Boutique concept store.