Retail insight as on 22nd April 2010

April 22, 2010News for the Retail industry










Previous Issues



News: Apparel, Specialty, CDIT ...



Ralph Lauren ’Polo’ to be in India by yearend

mydigitalfc.com

Ralph Lauren, the American fashion brand, has formed a franchise agreement with Inter Ads to enter India. "The franchise would start operations in December with the opening of its first Ralph Lauren store in Delhi," said Siddharth Chibba, Executive Director, Inter Ads. Inter Ads plans to open five more exclusive Polo Ralph Lauren stores to cover all major cities by the middle of 2012.





Weekender resizes portfolio to include adults

Economic Times

Weekender, a casual wear retailer, that found a fan following among young adultshas grown up, to keep up with its loyal customers of the past. "We have resized our portfolio to include adults and have also increased the average selling price by 60% to Rs 800 to suit the new positioning," said Balaji Bhat, CEO of Primus Retail, which acquired Weekender from Jagdish Hinduja family-owned Gokaldas Images in 2007.





Arvind may stitch deal with Italian co

Economic Times

Arvind Brands is close to a deal to bring Italian menswear label Energie to the country, ending its three-year long wait to retail an international denim brand. The Rs 230-crore subsidiary of Arvind Mills, which retails internationals brands such as Arrow and Izod, has been in talks with Italian fashion firm Sixty Group that owns Energie for at least four months, a person close to the negotiations said.





Future Group ventures into men’s grooming category

Press Trust of India

Kishore Biyani-promoted Future Group today said it has ventured into the men’s grooming category with the launch of ’John Miller’ range of deodorant sprays, as it looks to expand into the private labels segment. The company, which already sells John Miller men’s apparel, said the deodorant range will be available in all the Big Bazaar and Food Bazaar outlets across the country and laterat other Future Group formats.







The Loot ventures into Shop-in-Shop format

Fibre2fashion.com

The Loot, India’s leading multi brand discount store, forays into Shop-in-Shop format this March. The first such shop-in-shop will be launched in Sahakari Bhandar at Prabhadevi, Mumbai which will be followed byfour such similar stores in its chain in Mumbai. This will take the total no of outlets of The Loot to 152 with a retail space of over 3,00,000 sq ft across India.





A stupid philosophy

Express Buzz

Diesel, the iconic Italian lifestyle brand, is finally in India. Launched with their current (some say controversial) `Be Stupid’ campaign, the brand partnered with Reliance Brands Ltd. While the first two stores are in Mumbai, Hyderabadis might need to wait a little longer for their Diesel store.





Tommy Hilfiger: Keeping its ’International Feel’ in India

Fashion United

Tommy Hilfiger Apparels India, the first super premium international brand to arrive in India, is now expanding its product portfolio with the introduction of bags and shoes. In addition to its apparel range they are introducing two more products to make a strong lifestyle statement. Manish Saksena, COO, Tommy Hilfiger Apparels India says, "Both make strong lifestyle statements and bring in the required pep to the brand in terms of style and fashion. They complete the look."





News: Food & Grocery, QSR ...



Devyani to set up chain of bars

Economic Times

Devyani International of Ravi Jaipuria-owned RJ Corp, which runs Pizza Hut, KFC and Costa Coffee chains, is set to serve hotter stuff by opening a countrywide chain of bars, a company official said. The company plans to open 12 bars, called Foodie’s Bar, across India over the next two years, said Virag Joshi, CEO of the Rs 256-crore Devyani International.





Taco Bell storms vegetarian India

GlobalPost

Each day, some 2,000 Indians visit the new restaurant, strategically located inside a shopping mall in Bangalore’s conservative Malleswaram neighborhood. "India’s growing middle-class and especially Bangalore’s young, affluent population make for a perfect market," said Taco Bell’s general manager in India, Ashok Bajpai, who said he shook hands with at least 500 customers one afternoon. The next two Indian Taco Bell outlets will open later this year in Bangalore. The plan is to grow to 100 by 2015, Bajpai said.





Retail Trends



Aditya Birla Rejigs Apparel Biz Top Deck

VC Circle

Aditya Birla Nuvo’s textile and apparel business, which is India’s largest player in the branded clothing with Rs 1,115-crore in revenue, has effected a top-level rejig. Aloke Malik,President of Peter England Fashions & Retail Ltd, is moving on to another group company, Idea Cellular Ltd. The current president of Madura Garments LIfestyle & Retail Ltd, Ashish Dikshit, will now spearhead the de-merged operations of Peter England Fasions & Retail as well.





India is a pillar of future growth: The Body Shop

Economic Times

The Body Shop, the iconic British skincare brand, has slashed the prices of about 800 products by up to 35% in India to speed up its growth in one of its fastest growing markets. The pricing markdown only for India was part of an ambitious plan to expand its reach to more people and smaller cities in quick time, says Jonathan Price, managing director, Asia Pacific, The Body Shop





Sobha exiting mall JV with Davanam Constructions

Reuters India

Real estate major Sobha Developers is exiting its majority interest in Sobha Global Mall, a joint venture with Davanam Constructions, for developing a large mixed-use project focused on retail in Rajajinagar, the western suburbs of Bangalore, said sources directly familiar with the situation.





India: Traditional vendors still dominate

Financial Times

Today, even affluent urban Indians still do most of their shopping from traditional vendors, including pushcarts peddling fresh fruit and vegetables, or other household goods, down quiet residential streets, busy evening markets, or small family-owned dry goods stores. But that is slowly changing, with Indian companies’ initial forays into organised retail - a business still largely off-limits to foreign companies.





Gold sales may surge tomorrow

Economic Times

Gold traders can look for better sales on the occasion of Gurupushyamrut, which is considered an auspicious day for gold buying. Bombay Bullion Association President, Suresh Hundia said that there will be retail demand for gold tomorrow, however, it would depend upon the international gold prices. "If prices come down, demand will go up. If not, then demand is not going to go up," he said.





Retail Insight



A Comprehensive Guide To Retail Out-of-Stock Reduction In the Fast-Moving Consumer Good Industry

P&G, GMA, FMI, NACDS

This research report provides a comprehensive examination of the foundational knowledge, measurement approaches, and strategies used to reduce retail out-ofstocks (OOS) in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry. Its objective is to provide a guide to FMCG retailers that seek to reduce their costs associated with OOS items, while simultaneously enhancing shopper satisfaction with sustained lower levels of OOS.