Big Mac’s new menu

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October 25, 2010

Business Standard Mumbai, October 25, 2010 Raghavendra Kamath McDonald's has ambitious plans to become a breakfast destination as well. After wooing customers with happy meals and extra-value meals, Big Mac has added breakfast to its menu, which it believes will keep the chain "ahead of competition". After trial runs in a few Mumbai and Delhi restaurants, McDonald's has taken over two years to formally launch the breakfast category, which both the chain and analysts call a challenging segment to be in, given the Indian habit of having breakfast at home. "Most Indians prefer to have their breakfast at home and…

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Cover Story

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October 20, 2010

Indian market is flooded with brands while consumers are finding it difficult to stay afloat. Competition, demands and innovation are the key aspects to sustain in the battle. But what are the aspects to be avoided? Shweta Iyer talks about the pros and cons of launching a new brand and tries to find a success mantra to survive in the industry through thick and thin In India it’s a “Brand” New Story Everyday ! In the last few months India has witnessed a galore of newly launched brands and brand extensions leading to a surge in the marketplace. A recent…

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Woodland’s eco drive

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October 16, 2010

Business Standard, New Delhi, October 18, 2010 Amit Ranjan Rai Five years ago, Woodland, the maker of outdoor shoes and apparel, with a flourishing business in the country’s metros, decided to test waters in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. It opened a store each in the retail high streets of Jaipur and Udaipur, both well-known, well-to-do cities. Woodland had much expectation. But the stores flopped — there just weren’t enough buyers — and had to shut. Woodland then decided to stay away from smaller cities for a couple of years. No more experiments, no more testing waters was the…

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Indian beauty salon chains go on expansion spree

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October 15, 2010

MINT (A partner of the Wall Street Journal) Mumbai, 15 October 2010 Sapna Agarwal Indian beauty salon chains are looking to expand operations, offer cheaper services and increase the share of product sales in their earnings. Chains such as VLCC Healthcare Ltd and Kaya Skin Clinic are opening new outlets to meet growing demand for their services. Kaya, a chain of premium skin clinics owned by Marico Ltd, runs 81 outlets in India and nearly 20 overseas. At the beginning of 2010, it had announced a freeze on domestic expansion. International operations contribute 45-50% of its revenue. In the current…

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Of Immortality and Reincarnation

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September 20, 2010

Written By Devangshu Dutta It is quite clear that retro is ‘in’. The movie business worldwide is full of sequels, prequels, re-releases and remakes. The music business is ringing up the cash registers with remixes and jukebox compilations. Star Wars and Sholay still have a fan following. Abba has leaped across three decades; Hindi film songs from 30-60 years ago have been given a skin-uplift by American hip-hop artists; while Pink Floyd is hot with Indian teens, along with Akon and Rihanna. As copyright restrictions are removed from the works of authors long gone, the market gets flooded with several…

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