Raghavendra Kamath & Vinay Umarji, Business Standard Mumbai/Ahmedabad Aug 29, 2012 Stung by a consumption slowdown and cut-throat competition from other quick-service chains, Big Mac is trying hard to give customers more reasons to come to its stores. So its latest India menu now comprises a differential pricing strategy and better in-store experience. While Vikram Bakshi’s Connaught Plaza Restaurants, which has a joint venture with McDonald’s and has rights for the north and east, cut prices by 6-15 per cent from August 1 to boost sales, Hardcastle Restaurants, a development licensee of McDonald’s which runs West and South India operations,…
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Priyanka Golikeri & Nupur Anand, Daily News & Analysis (DNA) Bangalore, 22 August 2012 Now, macroeconomic woes are impacting even quick service restaurants (QSRs), the 150-3,000 square feet neighbourhood dine-in / takeaway food joints that serve up your pizzas, burgers and rolls. For, the slowdown, it has been found, is changing consumer behaviour and their eating patterns: footfalls are lower and bill sizes smaller. From 350-500 people per day, QSRs are seeing a 10-15% drop in footfalls, said a senior official from a pizza-pasta chain. Moreover, from two to three visits per week, the frequency of customer visits has dropped…
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Nupur Anand, Daily News & Analysis (DNA) Mumbai, 21 August 2012 Retailers are bleeding. The ‘sale’ season whose duration has been stretched of late, has pushed brands and retailers to despair, in spite of shoppers’ frenzy. The sale season in its present form is unsustainable, retailers say. Traditionally, seasonal sales used to start in August. Last year, they were advanced to July to give shoppers additional time to indulge. This year’s sales started in June. “‘Sale’ was originally introduced to boost sales. But this prolonged sale and deep discounting are not a good strategy. Retailers need to take stock and…
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Meghna Maiti, Financial Chronicle Mumbai, 13 August 2012 Max Hypermarket India, part of the Dubai-based retailer Landmark group, has signed a franchisee agreement with French retailer Auchan group to develop the hypermarket business in India. The existing Max Hypermarket stores will be rebranded as Auchan, and the stores will operate under the franchise agreement. Max, which is run by Landmark group, operates 13 hypermarkets in India. These stores will be rebranded in the fourth quarter of the current financial year. Max and Auchan plan to open 12-15 new stores annually across India, they said in a joint statement. Viney Singh,…
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Meghna Maiti, Financial Chronicle Mumbai,13 August 2012 Even as Pantaloon Retail India (PRIL) continues its expansion drive, post its deal to sell controlling stake in the Pantaloons format to the AV Birla group, Kishore Biyani CEO at Future group has embarked on a restructuring exercise to ride through the downturn. While PRIL increased its space under management by 0.55 million square feet of retail space, during the quarter ending June, compared with the year-ago period, the flagship of India’s largest listed organised retailer has shut down two stores of its electronics retail chain eZone and 10 stores of its core…
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