Sustaining the not so sustainable

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September 15, 2010

From RETAILER, Varun Jain September 2010 Vishal Retail is reeling under a debt of Rs 730cr; Subhiksha has already closed all their 1600 outlets; Wadhawan Retail's ambitious retail chain, Spinach, ran out of steam in this competitive retail scenario; and Raymond's Be: Home, a home furnishings retail format, is already a thing of past. These are a few examples of big retailers who could not able to sustain their retail businesses, while other players struggled successfully to be on the road to recovery. Let's do a reality check, as in what other players did right to be still in the…

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The complete coffee experience

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September 15, 2010

RETAILER, Vrinda Oberai September 2010 Initially, stocking additional merchandise was treated to be a tool for branding but nowadays the same has managed to become a source of additional revenue. Retail chains like Barista Lavaza, Costa Coffee and Gloria Jeans Coffees among others are witnessing an upswing when it comes to adding up to their sales by retailing a broad inventory of coffee equipments and related merchandise. Products on offer Some of the coffee equipments and other related merchandise that one can find at coffee outlets include plungers, thermos, coffee beans, mugs, coffee makers, jars, insulated and designer sippers. Thus,…

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The Hidden Cost 

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September 12, 2010

IMAGES BUSINESS OF FASHION, September 2010 Nalini Singh A sales promotion or “sale” works as a branding tool. It is an effective way to stimulate demand. But to perform better and stay ahead in the competition, retailers need to understand the cause and effect relationship of sales promotion. Given the growing importance of sales promotion, there has been considerable interest in its effect on different dimensions, such as the consumers’ price perceptions, brand choice, brand switching behaviour, evaluation of brand equity, effect on brand perception and so on. The concept of sales promotion in India is as popular as in…

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DIG To Find Hidden Gold

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September 7, 2010

By Devangshu Dutta In the midst of extensive or frequent civil works, fluorescent high-visibility clothing contributes to the invisibility of the individual, and can serve as a superb disguise. Similarly, in the midst of extensive research and in-depth analyses, basic insights can go unnoticed. Erich Joachimsthaler has plenty of examples in his book Hidden in Plain Sight to drive home the point that attention to stuff that is not so obvious to competition can lead to brilliant success such as Sony's growth through innovative products (the WalkmanT, for one) that met unexpressed consumer needs. Conversely, an inability to spot this…

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A Thousand Miles

Devangshu Dutta

September 4, 2010

The last three years have been a roller coaster ride for food & grocery modern retail in India. Progressive Grocer’s India edition was launched in September 2007, during what was an excellent series of years for the modern retail trade in the country. It was a year after the launch of Reliance Fresh, and a few months after the acquisition of Trinethra’s chain of 170 stores by the traditionally conservative Aditya Birla Group. Spencer’s announced its plans to raise capital for expansion, while Food Bazaar together with its value-format non-food twin Big Bazaar already accounted for more than half the…

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