MINT, July 26, 2011 Sapna Agarwal Mall developers entering an increasingly crowded market are calling in experts to help them design and run their new projects. One such expert estimates that professional managers will be involved in every four out of five new malls that will open for business in the coming months. Currently, one out of five malls is run by professionals, according to Sanjay Dutt, chief executive officer of Jones Lang LaSalle Property Consultants (India) Pvt. Ltd, a real estate consultancy services firm. Quite a few firms, including Beyond Squarefeet Advisory Pvt. Ltd, Pioneer Property Zone Services Pvt.…
The apparel retail sector worldwide thrives on change, on account of fashion as well as season. In India, for most of the country, weather changes are less extreme, so seasonal change is not a major driver of changeover of wardrobe. Also, more modest incomes reduce the customerโs willingness to buy new clothes frequently. We believe pricing remains a critical challenge and a barrier to growth. About 5 years ago, Third Eyesight had evaluated the pricing of various brands in the context of the average incomes of their stated target customer group. For a like-to-like comparison with average pricing in Europe,…
Poornima Kavlekar, The Smart CEO July 15, 2011 Who doesn't love to strike a deal, especially if discounts could vary anywhere from 10 per cent to 90 per cent on lifestyle products and services? Exactly the reason why group buying (discount deals) businesses show strong potential for growth in India. But there are many variables that these businesses need to pay attention to in order to succeed in this space. A strong consumer-merchant equation, a clear understanding of each of these interested parties and the capability of bringing them together in the most profitable manner are the foremost parameters. This…
By VISHAL KRISHNA Business World 11 July, 2009 When Martin Dlouhy, managing director of Metro Cash & Carry India - a 100 per cent subsidiary of the German firm - signed a Rs 900-crore agreement with the Punjab government earlier this year to set up six stores in the state over a fiveyear period, it seemed to reinforce the intention of global retailers wanting to penetrate the Indian market. Foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retailing is not allowed under the current policy regime; besides, most consumers in India still buy the bulk of their retail products from the neighbourhood…
Raghavendra Kamath, Business Standard Mumbai June 28, 2011 Trent, the flagship retail arm of Tatas, is in talks with Spanish retailer Inditex group to bring another fashion brand, Massimo Dutti, to India, according to a person close to the development. However, it is not known whether both parties would enter a joint venture (JV) or go for a franchise agreement. Trent has a JV with Inditex for Zara, wherein the Spanish company owns 51 per cent. The JV runs five stores in India. If the talks succeed, Trent may set up a couple of stores in metros in the initial…
Geopolitical friction has again sparked renewed concerns over inflation and rising input costs for FMCG companies as @itmeansjustice @whysnavi write. @devangshu commented.
