Retail insight as on 29th April 2010

April 29, 2010News for the Retail industry









Previous Issues



News: Apparel, Specialty, CDIT ...



Shopper’s Stop Q4 net profit up 197% yoy

India Infoline

Shopper’s Stop Ltd, India’s prominent retail group has reported gross retail turnover of Rs4.22bn for the quarter ended March 31st 2010 as compared to Rs3.52bn in Q4FY09; registering a jump of 20%. Net Profit for the quarter stood at Rs164mn against Rs169mn, up 197% compared to the same period last year





Italian clothing brand Diesel to make India outsourcing base

Economic Times

Renzo Rosso is a self-confessed Indophile. He has named his youngest daughter India. And he swears by Indian creativity and people’s ability to create and transform things. The global brand that he has created, Diesel, screams ’Be Stupid’.





Louis Philippe forays into footwear biz

Economic Times

Louis Philippe, the super-premium menswear brand from Aditya Birla Group, has diversified into mens footwear. The $100-million brand, the first one under Madura Garments’ stable to diversify from apparel, expects the new category to contribute at least 15% revenues in a year.Initially, the footwear range will be available in 30 Louis Philippe stores across the country, priced between Rs 2, 999 and Rs 4,999.





Godrej Interio opens franchise store

The Hindu

Godrej Interio, a leading home, office furniture and interior solutions company, launched its first franchise store in Chennai in association with Sarada Agencies, a dealer in home and office furniture. The store, located in Velachery, a key retail hub, was inaugurated by Anil Mathur, COO, Godrej Interio. Mr. Mathur said Godrej Interio was expanding its presence constantly and the plan was to launch 70 stores by 2013.







Megamart plans image overhaul

indiaretailing.com

Megamart, a value retail chain from the house of Arvind Brands, wants to drop its "all-men" image in order to woo women too. "Hi-fashion handbags, belts, scarves, hair accessories, wallets, perfumes and jewellery, junk as well as semi-precious, will complement the new range of offerings from brands like Karigari, for women’s ethnic wear, and Miss Cherokee, for women’s western wear," explained J Suresh, CEO, Arvind Brands (Brands & Retail).





News: Food & Grocery, QSR ...



Khana Khazana to open 10 restraunts, including four in Bahrain

Economic Times

Master chef Sanjeev Kapoor led Khana Khazanasaid it will open ten middle segment restraunts under its flagship brand -The Yellow Chilli - this year, including four in Bahrain."We shall be opening ten restraunts this year including four in Bahrain, two in Gujarat, one each in Jaipur and Bangalore, for which contracts have been signed," Khana Khazana Chief Operating Officer (COO), Rajeev Matta said.





Desi Urban Treat

Kolkata Mirror

Kafe Bindaas, known for its unique desi-urban theme, is back with its latest outlet at 6 Rawdon Street [Kolkatta]. An initiative by Manisha Nath, director, MN Enterprises and celebrity chef Shaun Kenworthy, Kafe Bindaas stands in complete contrast to the Westernised coffee-shops in the city. With a convenient location, reasonable prices, a host of outlets slated to open all around the city and a lip-smacking menu, this chain of cafs will surely be one of the coolest hangouts for Gen Y.





Retail Trends



Apparel brands bet on high streets to keep expansion on track

FashionUnited India (blog)

High streets such as Connaught Place in New Delhi and Brigade Road in Bangalore are back in retailers’ priority lists, as they prepare for a temporary lull in mall supply next year. Shoppers Stop, Reliance Retail, Madura Garments, Arvind Brands, United Colors of Benetton and others plan greater presence in high streets and co-location with multiplexes to keep their expansion intact between October 2011 and March 2013, when real estate analysts foresee a void in mall expansions.





Mall revolution has not been a grand success in India

Economic Times

Raghav Gupta, President Technopak Advisors: YES: In the case of a shopping mall (and most other consumer facing businesses), I believe this lies at two levels -success at a customer value proposition level (end consumer and retailer/occupier), and then at a financial level for the mall developer. For the shopping mall revolution to be considered a grand success, one would want at least 50-60% of malls in the country to deliver on these two counts.







Shopping en famille

Business Line

Is family shopping making a comeback or are modern retailers forcing that trend? May seem like a chicken-and-egg situation, but modern-day retailers such as Primus, Max and Megamart are delighted at the ticket value and large footfalls this shopping habit promises....family stores are back in business, with big brands and retail chains jumping into the fray.





Retail Insight



Reverse Logistics Management: Turning the misery of product returns into a strategic differentiator in multi-channel commerce

Infosys

When executives develop their logistics strategies, the focus is centered on outbound supply chain efficiency, usually without considering that their brand is suffering as big a hit due to reverse logistics inefficiencies as it can due to gaps in forward logistics.