Retailers likely to curb sale periods after prolonged discounts in 2012

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January 28, 2012

Mihir Dalal & Suneera Tandon, Mint (A Wall Street Journal Partner) Bangalore/New Delhi, January 28, 2013 After weak demand and piled-up inventory forced clothing retailers to give discounts for longer than usual in 2012, companies such as Arvind Lifestyle Brands Ltd, DLF Brands Ltd and Lifestyle International Pvt. Ltd say they will not extend their sale period this year. Last year, some retailers started offering discounts early and extended them till the end of March as they dealt with the overhang of a post-recession boom in retail: massive inventory. The end-of-season sale lasted as long as seven-eight weeks, against the…

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Bombay Store aims to grow younger

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January 20, 2012

The Hindu, BusinessLine Purvita Chatterjee, January 20, 2012 The Bombay ‘Swadeshi' Store at Fort in Mumbai may have patriotic leanings (it was started in 1906 by Indian patriot Bal Gangadhar Tilak and businessman Munmohandas Ramji) but today the home décor and gift retailer does not want to be perceived as an old-fashioned store brand catering primarily to NRIs. It is hoping to attract youth with its new brand, The Elephant Company, a young, quirky brand with products ranging from magnets and key chains to more expensive offerings such as wall clocks, at prices between Rs 200 and Rs 4,000. Bombay…

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Spar plans tie-ups with multiple firms

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January 19, 2012

Sapna Agarwal, Mint (A Wall Street Journal partner) Mumbai, January 19, 2012 Dutch-based supermarket chain Spar International plans to partner with multiple firms to expand its retail presence in India, a senior company executive said on Wednesday. This is a model the retailer practices globally, but in India currently it has at least 10 hypermarkets—in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and the National Capital Region, among other places—in partnership with only Landmark group’s Max Hypermarket India Pvt. Ltd. “The new partnerships will be for entering new regions and developing new formats to penetrate the market,” said Gordon Campbell, managing director of…

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Global QSRs Dissecting the Indian fast food pie

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January 17, 2012

Global quick-service restaurant brands are expanding their footprint in the quickly evolving Indian market. But some are also falling by the wayside. Here are some perspectives from the industry (ET Now telecast video - about 6 minutes): Click here

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Will luxury brands lap up 100 pc FDI?

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January 13, 2012

Pallavi Srivastava, Pitch New Delhi, January 13, 2012 Contrary to popular belief that allowing 100 per cent in single brand retail will give impetus to luxury brands in India and bring down costs, experts do not have high hopes. The government of India, a couple of days ago decided to allow 100 per cent FDI in single brand retail product trading. Till now, only 51 per cent FDI was permitted. However, there’s no FDI still allowed in multi-brand retail trade. The decision, according to a government notification is aimed at attracting investments in production and marketing, improving the availability of…

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