BusinessWorld, 30 October 2010 Vishal Krishna Debt-laden Subhiksha’s hopes of resurrection seems to have reached a dead end. The retailer received a serious blow this week with the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court rejecting its merger proposition with Blue Green Constructions and Investment (BGCIL), a Madras Stock Exchange-listed company. A merger would have helped the combined entity list on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange and raise fresh capital. Subhiksha owes at least Rs 800 crore to its creditors, which include Kotak Mahindra Bank, ICICI Venture and ICICI Bank. The court squashed Subhiksha’s appeal stating…
CONTINUE READING
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…
CONTINUE READING
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…
CONTINUE READING
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…
CONTINUE READING
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…
CONTINUE READING
