Retail Insight on December 14th 2009

December 14, 2009 News for the retail industry Previous Issues     News    Spain's Zara to walk into India next year: Inditex AFP Spain's Inditex, Europe's largest clothing retailer, said on Thursday that it will open the first five branches in India of its flagship Zara brand next year. Bharti Retail to enter new zone next year; expand from 70 to 200 stores Daily News & Analysis Bharti Retail, a 100% subsidiary of Bharti Enterprises, is looking to enter a new zone by 2010 end, which could either be the western or southern part of the country. Future Group's Biyani Sees Jump in India Retail Sales Wall Street Journal India's retail sales have staged a surprisingly strong rebound in the last two months as the country's middle class is opening its wallets once again, said Kishore Biyani, head of India's largest retailer. Hamleys set for India debut in February Business Standard Famed British toy retailer, Hamleys will make its India debut with a 22,000-square-feet store at the popular Phoenix Mills in Mumbai, by February next year. Reliance Retail, which has a 20-year-franchise agreement with the retailer, will set up 20 stores in the first seven years of the agreement. Besides Mumbai, other cities on the retailer's list include Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai, in the first phase of the launch. Bharti Retail aims for 40% revenues from private labels Economic Times Bharti Retail, the wholly-owned retail arm of Sunil Mittal's Bharti Enterprises, is planning to shore up revenue from private labels at its stores to match the global industry benchmark. Swiss Watch makers shift focus to India Financial Express Ethos Swiss Watch Studio's Chief Executive Officer, Yashovardhan Saboo said that Ethos is gearing up to expand its retail network for Swiss watches in metros, including airports. According to him, due to steeply rising gold prices, Swiss luxury watch price in India is expected to increase 5% to 10%. The company is planning to invest Rs 30 crore in the retail expansion plans. Pizza Hut changes format, adds to menu Daily News & Analysis Pizza Hut, one of the flagships of Yum Brands Inc, the global restaurant chain, is looking at a complete overhaul of its outlet formats, apart from menu expansion, in India. "We noticed a 25% jump in sales during the test drive. We are expecting an overall same-store-sales (SSS) growth of 25% this year," Anup Jain, director, marketing, Pizza Hut, said. Deccan Chronicle's Odyssey to launch music portal RadioandMusic.com To cash on the growing digital market, Odyssey, the wholly owned subsidiary of Deccan Chronicle Holdings is all set to flag off a music portal- 'Odyssey 360o' early next year. Soon, raise a toast in the coffee shop Daily News & Analysis Currently, only one Barista outlet in Delhi serves alcoholic beverages but the firm plans to have 25 such outlets in the future. Haagen-Dazs enters Indian market India Business Blog (blog) 'Our first-ever flagship shop in India will provide consumers with the opportunity to enjoy Haagen-Dazs in a cosmopolitan yet relaxed setting,' said Anindo Mukherji, managing director of General Mills India, which markets the brand in the country.   Retail Trends    Model optimisation key to retailer profitability Daily News & Analysis Today, the operational environment has changed and is posing challenges for retailers, especially in the apparel space, to preserve the balance between availability and visibility of brands with profitability and growth. First global brand yet to emerge from India Economic Times All the rubber around MRF, JK, CEAT or Apollo Tyres would fail to tread the path taken by a Michelin or Dunlop or even a Hankook. An Adidas, Reebok or Nike towers over Liberty, Action, or what have you. Even in organised retail, Reliance already seems to be lagging behind along with RPG's Spencer's, as Bharti revs up the engine with Wal-Mart as partner. Let's Face it. In India, the business of brands is a local phenomenon. B-School students to get retail training on streets Indian Express In a unique assignment given to the students, they will sell products of a Mumbai-based NGO to the passers-by and the money collected from the sales will be given to the NGO.   Retail Insight    Effective Triggered Email Campaigns: 6 Best Practices Zeta Interactive As a result of the recent economic downturn, marketers finally have an impetus to improve their email marketing strategies and execution. In general, email programs have historically provided solid, predictable ROI , leading many to avoid more advanced or innovative techniques in their customer communications. Instead they rely on the same tools and technologies they have for years. However, now faced with tightened budgets and the incessant call to "do more with less," email marketers can no longer afford to maintain the status quo. In fact, as greater recognition of the value of email continues to take hold, marketing messages to the primary inbox will grow to more than 9,000 annually in 20141 - forcing marketers to do more than ever to stand out in a cluttered inbox and protect per-message and overall revenue.