By Vikas Kumar (The Economic Times - 26 November 2007) Small is the new big. Small towns, that is. With demand nearly peaking in larger cities, companies are realising that there are plenty of untapped opportunities in the next level. And if you are small yourself, it could be the perfect alternative to taking your bigger competitors head-on or waiting until you are big enough. A host of emerging companies in India are adopting this route to grow. They are starting small with tier II and III towns where the competition may not be as fierce, and entry barriers are…
THE ECONOMIC TIMES, 24 November 2007 Ashish Kumar Mishra & Irshad Daftari On 15th November, an anxious group comprising 11 representatives of the textile & clothing industry of India and heads of four banks called on the finance minister, P Chidambaram. Every member painted a doomsday picture of the industry, outlining the fall in exports because of the appreciation of the rupee, infrastructure bottlenecks, cross-subsidy that the industry has to pay for power and delays in funding under the Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (TUFS). That lasted for about 70 minutes, but it could have continued indefinitely, high as the group…
Source: American Shipper - Namaste, November 2007 Few analysts speak with more clarity and insight about a subject than Devangshu Dutta does about Indian retail supply chain logistics. Third Eyesight is a Delhi-based company that helps textile, consumer durables and perishable shippers set up their Indian supply chain. Namaste spoke with Dutta about a range of retail supply chain topics, including why retail can sometimes be a dirty word in India, and why India’s roads might not be as bad as you’ve heard. Namaste: Retail is a word that evokes extreme reactions in India. Why is that so? Dutta: Developments…
Mint (partner to the Wall Street Journal), New Delhi - 8 November 2007 By Rasul Bailay The shopping shelves of the Food Bazaar supermarket in Indirapuram outside New Delhi are stacked with well-known brands such as Britannia biscuits, Tropicana juices or Heinz ketchups. Sharing the shelves are a host of obscure brands such as Lancer biscuits, Chintamani namkeen and Fruitfil juices. As millions of Indian consumers graduate from the traditional small mom-and-pop stores to the legions of emerging branded stores, modern retailers make sure that the consumers don’t lose out on small local brands that are relatively cheaper and are an…
BOOK REVIEW: HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT: Erich Joachimsthaler 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,…
Geopolitical friction has again sparked renewed concerns over inflation and rising input costs for FMCG companies as @itmeansjustice @whysnavi write. @devangshu commented.
