Anees Hussain and Kartikay Kashyap, Financial Express / Brand Wagon 6 February 2026 Swiggy Instamart's Noice has consciously rejected every aesthetic that defines platform house brands. Its visual identity doesn't sport minimalist colours or whites, no clean sans-serif, no 'discount alternative' signalling. Instead it uses Indian truck art inspired design with neon colours and bold text. That design architecture also personifies Swiggy's big gamble. Noice isn't just a private label chasing margin expansion. It's a differentiation play by a company that's losing ground in a war in which being faster and cheaper is no longer enough. Early data suggests that…
BRND.ME CEO Ananth Narayanan (source: company video)
Sakshi Sadashiv, MINT Bengaluru, 02 Feb 2026 BRND.ME, a roll-up commerce company, expects to complete its reverse flip (change of headquarters) from Singapore to India by March, clearing a key regulatory hurdle as it prepares to tap Indian public markets with an IPO. Despite the rise of private labels from quick-commerce giants such as Swiggy Instamart and Zepto, CEO Ananth Narayanan remains confident. He argues that BRND.ME's core categories—spanning complex, value-added products such as specialized haircare and niche party supplies—possess a level of brand loyalty and complexity that is difficult for generic retail labels to replicate. While private labels are…
Surabhi Prasad, Business Today Print Edition: 01 Feb, 2026 The last two years—2024 and, more notably, 2025—saw a wave of protests by a new generation of students and young professionals looking for political change, better economic conditions and more climate awareness across countries, including Bangladesh, Nepal, Indonesia and the Maldives. But beyond these uprisings, Gen Z, the term used to describe those born in late 1990s to the early part of the 2010s and currently aged around 13-29 years, are not only questioning but also bringing forth changes in societal norms and economic behaviour. It’s not just a generation gap!…
Vashnavi Kasthuril, MINT Mumbai, 30 January 2026 Reliance Consumer Products Ltd (RCPL) plans to enter the bottled iced tea market this coming summer with the relaunch of "Brew House", three people close to the development told Mint. The people added that the brand—for which the company received approval on 23 July 2025, according to the commerce ministry records—is expected to be relaunched within the next two months. The oil-to-retail conglomerate acquired the brand in 2024 for an undisclosed amount. The iced teas will be launched in two flavours, lemon and peach, for an entry price of ₹20 for a 200ml…
What does it actually take to build a fashion brand in India? This panel ("Beyond the Noise- How D2c Fashion Brands Are Reinventing Retail") at the 25th Edition of India Fashion Forum focussed on some real answers, in a refreshing, down-to-earth conversation moderated by Devangshu Dutta (Founder, Third Eyesight), with the founders of DeMoza (Agnes Raja George), The Mom Store (Surbhi Bhatia), Miraggio (Mohit Jain), BeyondBound (Tejasvi Madan), and Bari (Sameer Khan Lodhi). No fluff, no "disrupting the industry" talk. Just founders being honest about what's worked, what hasn't, and what they'd do differently. A few things that struck a…
The @ETNowSwadesh discussion on the dual challenge of a weakening rupee & rising crude oil prices driving "imported inflation". @devangshu on the panel with @davemansi145 as anchor
As legacy retailers balance speed with customer experience, is near-instant delivery a sustainable goal for fashion, or will the costs outweigh the rewards?
@devangshu
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Ikea has been around in India for about eight years. and has taken a long-term view on India with product and format customisation, and future investment plans of over $2 billion.
