Sarah Jacob, The Economic Times Bangalore, 14 June 2012 Japanese conglomerate Suntory, known for its whiskies and beers, has picked up majority stake in a subsidiary of Mumbai-based Narang Group to enter India's non-alcoholic beverage market. Suntory Beverage and Food Asia, which manages the M&A strategy and administration of group companies of the ¥1,802.8-billion (approx Rs 1.3 lakh crore) Suntory Holdings in Southeast Asia, has bought 51% stake in Narang Connect. "The joint venture (Narang Connect is rechristened Suntory Narang) is focused on premium, healthy, coffee-based and carbonated beverages," Rahul Narang, founder and chairman of Narang Group, said. This is…
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Nandita Bose, Reuters Mumbai, 11 June 2012 India's largest supermarket operator, Future Group, is having a clearance sale: its financial service business and flagship clothing brand are gone, and more deals are in the pipeline. Six months after the government backtracked on plans to allow foreign retail giants such as Wal-Mart Stores and Carrefour to form joint ventures, cash-starved domestic chains are selling assets, shutting stores, and scaling back expansion plans. It seems improbable that retailers could be in such trouble in India. They have the world's second-largest population, increasingly affluent consumers, and limited competition. But things are tough for…
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Abhinav Mohapatra, Pitch Mumbai, 11 June 2012 The Indian fashion retail industry is witnessing a massive transformation with the growth of organised retail and increasing fashion sensibilities of the Indian mass consumer. Taking a cue from the emerging trends in the Indian fashion industry, Anita Dongre, lifestyle and fashion designer has created a niche in this space on the back of a strong market segmentation strategy and a well-planned retail presence. If you’ve got it, flaunt it The upper and upper middle class of the consumer segment does look where it is investing its money, even in the small things…
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Priyanka Golikeri , Daily News & Analysis (DNA) Bangalore, 6 June 2012 For IT professional Meena Sarma, living in Mysore no longer implies a small-town existence. The historical city has everything, from corporate parks and hotels to dazzling malls. Being a shopaholic, she is glad that from salad dressings and Dutch cheese to the latest apparel and footwear brands, everything is available within reach, the precincts of her neighbourhood or office complex, just like in any other megalopolis. A welcome change, says Sarma, as this was not the scenario some years ago. Earlier, we could shop only at neighbourhood mandis…
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Sarah Jacob & Sagar Malviya, The Economic Times Bangalore/New Delhi, 30 May 2012 Sluggish demand has led lifestyle retail chains to post weak same-store sales in January-March 2012 and lower growth estimates for this fiscal. Driven by new stores, most retailers clocked 20-30% sales growth in January-March. But same-store sales, or sales from stores that were operational last year, grew in single digits. Samestore sales are an important indicator of consumer demand and the health of the retail industry. Retailers don't expect things to improve this fiscal as demand is subdued. The downturn began after Diwali, and the increase in…
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