Retail insight as on 17th February 2010

February 17, 2010News for the Retail industry










Previous Issues

News: Apparel, Specialty, CDIT ...



SBI in control of SKC Retail after CDR problems

mydigitalfc.com

State Bank of India (SBI) has taken over the day-to-day operations of the Chennai-based apparel retailer, SKC Retail, after a proposed Rs 200 crore corporate debt restructuring (CDR) did not go through, a person familiar with the development said. SKC has eight showrooms in five cities, including Chennai, Bangalore, Secunderabad and Pune, with a retail space of about two lakh square feet. Its annual turnover is reportedly around Rs 270 crore.





Future Group refuses to confirm Carrefour as partner

kamcity.com

The Future Group has confirmed that it is in talks to join forces with an international retailer, but refused to confirm long-running speculation that it is ready to team up with Carrefour. CEO Kishore Biyani noted, "There is a lot of speculation about a lot of players and one of the names that comes up is Carrefour ... but that doesn't mean that we are tying up with them." He added that the group will look to expand on its own, saying it plans to add 3 million sq ft of space a year, with an average investment of Rs.10 bn ($216 m).





In High Spirits: John Distilleries drafts Rs 150-crore fund raising plan

Economic Times

Spirit was in his blood. As a young boy, peering at the rows of whisky, rum and brandy that lined his father's alcobev retail vends, Paul P John let his mind wander to the thought of turning businessman. Today, as the chairman of one of India's top five spirits firms, John Distilleries, the 45-year-old, is drafting a Rs 150-crore fund raising plan to propel the company into a strong national player.





Christian Fabre signs Francorp to devise franchise expansion strategy

India PRwire

Christian Fabre, the urban man's designer wear brand promoted by Mr. Fabre, is set to step into the booming retail business in India by opening more outlets. The company is geared up to expand its presence across India through franchising with the expertise of Francorp. Francorp is a part of Franchise India Group, Asia's largest integrated Franchise and Retail Solutions Company that specializes in providing innovative solutions to its global clientele.







Hasbro Clothing mulls increasing store count

Fibre2fashion.com

Now that the slowdown is showing signs of withering away, many apparel retailers are mulling over plans to increase their pan-India presence. Hasbro Clothing, a leading men's garment and accessories producer too is keen to ramp up it store count by launching 25 more 'Basics Life' stores in the next fiscal year (2010-11).





Jute festival kicks off in Chennai

Business Standard

The Jute Manufacturers Development Council (JMDC), a statutory body under the textiles ministry, will promote diversified jute products, said Union textiles minister Dayanidhi Maran. He also announced the opening of retail outlets for jute diversified products co-branded with JMDC. These outlets will sell high-quality products for customers in Chennai.





News: Food & Grocery, QSR ...



Future Group looks to fresh produce

Fruitnet.com

Future Group, the group behind the Big Bazaar hypermarket and Food Bazaar supermarket chains, is forming a specialised entity to manage its supply chain for fresh produce. The new entity will be headed by S Radhakrishnan, a retail-industry veteran who helped set up the RPG Group's Food World chain and was Reliance Retail's value format business chief until earlier this year.





Retail Trends



Consumer-focused firms license tech to corporate clients

Livemint

In the middle of last year, Yulop WebSense Solutions Pvt. Ltd, a location-based search firm that helped cellphone users find coffee shops and toy stores, changed its business focus. The firm is now seeking to license the content and technology it built for sites such as Rediff.com, moving away from its earlier model of offering business listings directly to consumers. The trend of consumer-focused firms offering technology and solutions to corporate customers for a steady income is growing.







Textile ind first to come out of recession: Maran

Business Standard

Textiles Minister, Dayanidhi Maran said the textile industry was the first to come out of the downturn, showing a monthly growth of 5-7 percent. The industry has shown a 5-7 percent growth on a month-on-month basis in the current fiscal, as compared to a negative growth of 15 percent in the beginning of FY10, added Maran.





Retail Insight



Customers Want a Consistent In-Store Experience

Mercer

Improving store-level operations rarely is top of mind for senior executives in retailing. But it can yield a high return on investment, especially when it serves to deliver the same customer experience at each site. An effective site operations program creates hard-to-copy differentiation and more productive employees for retailers of all sizes and formats.