From the Editors Desk

Sustainability is no longer limited to few manufacturing industries. Retail sector is also realizing the importance of following eco-friendly practices. Global warming and reduction of green cover due to adverse manufacturing processes is fast becoming an important issue for all nations. Taking care of the natural environment is on the mind of everyone.

Read more / Join the discussion on LinkedIn

Week At a Glance  News - Headlines, Apparel, Specialty.. Biyani rejigs rural retail venture in search of profits Japanese fashion company in JV talks with Aditya Birla, DLF Govt planning fast track clearance for retail FDI rollout Ayesha Kapur launches new store Sanjiv Goenka prefers to build companies Hero Cycles to enter organised retail market NEXT Retail launches new format store at Korum Mall, Thane Yepme to turn fully-online men's fashion house Forevermark plans 2011 India expansion Brand Factory opens second store in Kolkata News - Food, QSR .. Emami Biotech has massive retail expansion plans Starbucks may have expat head in India HUL CEO Nitin Paranjpe working towards perfection in a store Big Bazaar launches 'Maha Bachat' fest Shoppers in India put the brakes on Star Bazaar to take few years to break even Cafe India, Milwaukee's first Indian fast food restaurant Chi Kitchen & Bar rolls out first franchise outlet in New Delhi Sunay Bhasin is Pizza Hut India marketing head Tata Coffee talks supplies with Starbucks Trends Malls vs High Street: What do consumers prefer? Future Group aims for zero shrinkage Discounts unlikely to arrest fall in apparel demand Fashioning change in India's apparel sector Mall space witnesses 65% rise The Goods Samaritan of Reverse Logistics How Desi helps women craft livelihoods US firm Brahma Capital in deal with Bestech for retail complex Customers are in an 'experience the brand'mode: Wadhwan Lifestyle Business Head An E-com Firm Can Become India's Largest Retailer By 2015: Vishal Mehta, CEO Insight From Selling Products to Selling Services: A New Retail Business Model Cross Channel Integration: Best Practices Franchise Mart: The Source of Indian Entrepreneur Retail Clinics in Grocery Stores Online Retailing Growth Will Drive Shed Demand   News - Headlines, Apparel, Specialty ..  Biyani rejigs rural retail venture in search of profits mydigitalfc.com Kishore Biyani, Group CEO at India's largest organised retailer Future Group, is redrawing the rural retail model followed by Aadhar Retailing, its joint venture with the $3.3 billion Godrej group, in which it has a 70 percent stake. Biyani said the venture would focus on becoming a sourcing hub from semi-urban and rural markets for the group's chain of Big Bazaar and Food Bazaar stores, among others. In a pilot run at Kalol, Gujarat, Biyani is testing a new model, which will see Aadhar become a cross between a cash and carry store and a front-end retailer. The company also plans to franchise the brand name of Aadhar Retailing to the outlets run by the entrepreneurs. Japanese fashion company in JV talks with Aditya Birla, DLF Times of India Japanese fashion giant Uniqlo has held discussions with the Aditya Birla Group and DLF Retail, to enter the Indian market through a joint venture. The talks with Madura Fashion & Lifestyle, a division of Aditya Birla Nuvo, was fairly advanced said sources who were in the know. The $9 billion Tokyo-headquartered Uniqlo's parent, Fast Retailing Co Ltd., is famous for its basics, t-shirts, socks and jeans, and their aggressive pricing made it a scalable business model for the Indian market. Govt planning fast track clearance for retail FDI rollout Economic Times The government is about to announce a series of big-bang economic measures as part of its strategy to send out a signal to the world that the Indian economy, despite all its problems, remains one of the few safe spots for investment in a shaky global economy. Primarily aimed at a domestic audience, the government is planning to give fast-track clearances to all pending FDI applications, open defence equipment sector to foreign investors through joint ventures, and allow FDI into multi-brand retail projects in six big metros, as soon as the policy is finalised. Ayesha Kapur launches new store Times of India Actress Ayesha Kapur, who acted in the hit film Black, launched her first store in Inorbit Mall, Malad, Mumbai. Her largest store till date, it will keep a stock of its complete collection of accessories designed by her. She already has other stores in Delhi, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Pondicherry and Pune, aside from Mumbai. Jacqueline Kapur, MD, ayesha Accessories said that they hoped to reach out to the fun-loving fashionistas in Mumbai. Sanjiv Goenka prefers to build companies Business Today When the Goenkas took over CESC, the company that supplies electricity to Kolkata was a moribund business. The government's attitude was far from encouraging, but that did not deter Goenka. Today CESC is the flagship of Sanjiv Goenka's Rs 9,000-crore business empire. Taking various initiatives steadily over the past decade, the RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group operates in five sectors: power and natural resources, carbon black, retail, media and entertainment, and infrastructure. It is aiming to raise its revenues nearly three times in the next five years to touch Rs 25,000 crore. Hero Cycles to enter organised retail market Financial Express In a bid to expand market reach, the world's largest manufacturers of bicycles, Hero Cycles, is set to foray into organised retail. With an entry into this format, the company is looking at making a presence by opening over 350 to 500 shop-in-shop exclusive retail outlets, and entering tie-ups with Pantaloon Retail India and Lodhi Sports. Their premium products will be sold at Future Group's stores. NEXT Retail launches new format store at Korum Mall, Thane afaqs NEXT Retail India Limited, the country's largest electronics chain, recently launched its new format store at Korum Mall in Thane. With a comprehensive line of 3000 products. which include national and international brands, the new NEXT Retail India Ltd. store offers Experience Zones, gaming zones, and other exciting deals as part of the attraction. The special Experience Zones will help shoppers through offering expert advice and enabling them to avail of customized solutions. At present, there are six outlets of NEXT Retail in Thane district. The company plans to add 10 stores, by the end of this year. Yepme to turn fully-online men's fashion house iNewsOne Leading Indian men's apparel and accessory brand, Yepme has recast its business to turn into a fully-online pret fashion house. It is finalising a second round of venture funding to expand operations, besides adding new strategies to push business, According to Chief Executive Vivek Gaur, the site allows customers to pick their product of choice from a wide variety of latest designs, and get a 360-degree look and feel by draping it on a virtual model. Other value adds are a 30-day return policy, cash-on-delivery option, and 24x7 support. Forevermark plans 2011 India expansion Rapaport De Beers brand, Forevermark, which was launched in Bengaluru in January 2011, and which expanded to Mumbai and Delhi, is now looking to establish its mark in Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata by the year end. Jonathan Kendall, Operations Director, Forevermark, is expecting India to account for 11 percent of the global consumer market. "Looking at both our experience in other markets and the basic growth for the industry in India, we are confident of the returns we expect here,'' said Kendall. Brand Factory opens second store in Kolkata indiablooms Lifestyle store, Brand Factory, a division of Pantaloon Retail India Ltd., has opened its second outlet in Beliaghata, Kolkata. Said Vishnu Prasad, CEO, Central & Brand Factory, "Over 70% of the people shopping at Factory outlets are under the age group of 35 years, who are smart shoppers and who want fashion brands at reasonable prices. With most retailers focusing either on top or the bottom of the urban pyramid, there is a huge segment in between that has been clearly ignored. This is the segment that we wish to tap through Brand Factory."   News - Food, QSR ..  Emami Biotech has massive retail expansion plans Business Standard Emami Biotech Ltd, a part of the Rs 3,700 crore Emami Group of Companies, is planning pan-India expansion. The company's Healthy and Tasty has a presence in West Bengal, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Bihar and Jharkhand. Emami is planning to complete its pan-India market expansion in the next 18 months, with around 500,000 outlets. It is also doubling the facility in Haldia and setting up new refineries to cater to the local demand. Starbucks may have expat head in India Daily News & Analysis US-based coffee retailer, Starbucks is looking for a CEO for its India launch. A source in the know said that in all probability, it could be an overseas person, as Starbucks would need someone with international experience, preferably someone who has worked in Asia, to compete with the established players in the Indian market. HUL CEO Nitin Paranjpe working towards perfection in a store Economic Times Rajvi Stores is one of the many kirana outlets that dot the residential district Powai in northeastern Mumbai. On a wet July morning, the men behind the counter were greeted by a slender gentleman in a black T shirt and a cap who fired away a list of probing questions: what was selling well, what was not, what more could be done to drive sales. If the proprietor of the store was irritated, he couldn't show it. For, the eager beaver was no ordinary customer but the CEO of India's largest consumer products company, Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL), Nitin Paranjpe. "The idea is to work towards perfection in a store," Paranjpe told reporters who accompanied him on his market visit. Big Bazaar launches 'Maha Bachat' fest indiablooms Big Bazaar, the flagship hypermarket retail chain from Future Group, is offering its 'Maha Bachat' scheme from August 10 to 15, across its 153 Big Bazaar and 207 Food Bazaar stores in the country. The fest will be on at all major sub-formats such as Furniture Bazaar, Electronic Bazaar and Home Bazaar too. According to company officials, the six-day fest, with its heavy discounts on various product categories, will be the "perfect answer to inflation", enabling maximum savings for the Indian consumer. Shoppers in India put the brakes on The National In recent weeks, consumer spending in India has fallen due to growing costs, but consumer confidence is still high, leading Indian companies to remain optimistic about sales over the long term. Analysts note that middle-class Indians are recalibrating their spending habits. Most middle-class Indian families, who typically spend between 30 and 60 percent of their monthly earnings on food alone, are increasingly shopping at large, organised retail stores such as Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Retail, and the Aditya Birla Group-controlled More Retail. The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) said such stores offer consumers at least 6 percent more monthly savings on groceries. Shoppers also increasingly looked for value-adds. Star Bazaar to take few years to break even Business Standard Star Bazaar, the hypermarket chain of Tata's retail arm, Trent, will take at least a couple of years more to break even, said a top executive. The company plans to invest Rs 500 crore to take the number of Star Bazaar stores to 50, from the current 12, in the next three to five years. Trent has entered into an exclusive franchise agreement with UK's retail giant, Tesco, to access, among other things, the latter's expertise in the supply chain, marketing, stock management, and retail information. Cafe India, Milwaukee's first Indian fast food restaurant OnMilwaukee.com Cafe India is Milwaukee's first Indian fast food restaurant, offering "simple, fresh and Indian" food. Says owner Rakesh Rehan, "Milwaukee needed a joint where you come in, get your food and go.... There are many Indian fine dining and buffet places, but no fast food." Though primarily a fast food outlet, Cafe India offers a full line of basic entrees and snacks, as well as full dinners with traditional Indian dishes. Chi Kitchen & Bar rolls out first franchise outlet in New Delhi India PRwire Chi Kitchen & Bar, a Pan-Asian casual dining restaurant, has successfully forayed in the franchising industry by granting its maiden franchise rights in New Delhi. Chi Kitchen & Bar has plans to set its footprint in all metropolitan and Tier-I cities across India. An award winning restaurant, Chi Kitchen is popular for its quick service food, prompt turnaround and display kitchen. Sunay Bhasin is Pizza Hut India marketing head Hindu Business Line Casual dining brand, Pizza Hut has appointed Mr Sunay Bhasin as its new marketing head for the Indian subcontinent. The company said that the appointment would strengthen the position of Pizza Hut as a strong affordable casual dining brand in the country. Bhasin succeeds Mr Anup Jain, who has moved on to head marketing and food innovation for Pizza Hut, Australia. Tata Coffee talks supplies with Starbucks Daily News & Analysis Tata Coffee is at an advanced stage of discussion with the Starbucks management to start manufacturing coffee for their retail sales. "We are in talks with Starbucks management for a manufacturing arrangement," Hameed Huq, Managing Director, Tata Coffee, said. "This basically means all coffee meant for retail sales by Starbucks will be produced and packaged by us. ...it will be difficult to put a timeframe as to when this deal will get concluded." Huq, however, did not specify if the manufacturing for retail sales will be specifically for the Indian market or include some of Starbucks' international markets as well.   Trends  Malls vs High Street: What do consumers prefer? FashionUnited India Remember Crossroads, Mumbai's first mall at Haji Ali, where one had to either show a mobile or a credit card to get entry? A wrong move, since Crossroads started seeing dwindling footfalls thereafter.Crossroads folded up; however, it did trigger a debate between the relative viability of high streets and malls. Who scores higher? The jury is still out for the big debate on High Street vs Malls. Future Group aims for zero shrinkage LogisticsWeek Future Supply Chain Solutions Limited, India's first fully integrated IT-enabled end-to-end supply chain solutions provider, has a newly-opened state-of-the-art integrated distribution centre in Lonad, Bhiwandi (Mumbai). With the latest technology clubbed with expertise of warehousing operations integrated with Express Transportation, Future Supply Chains will bring in optimum operational efficiency to boost fill rates, accuracy, quality maintenance, and timely delivery to retail stores. "We have set ourselves an ambitious goal of achieving 95%+ Fill Rate and ZERO shrinkage and benchmark for this distribution center," said Mr. Anshuman Singh, MD & CEO, Future Supply Chains Solutions Ltd. Discounts unlikely to arrest fall in apparel demand Business Standard In spite of having opted for a longer discount season, the Indian garment industry is reeling under dipping margins. Apparel prices are at an all-time high due to full implementation of excise duty of 10% on branded garments, hitting the demand among consumers by as much as 15-20 percent. According to Sanjay Jain, President of the Kolkata Association of Garment (KAG), this trend is forcing garment manufacturers to cut down on production. Arvind Retail Ltd., predicts the coming days to be tougher on the apparel industry. Fashioning change in India's apparel sector just-style.com Lured by India's booming consumer market and hopes that retail investment rules will ease off, more and more apparel brands see the country as an opportunity to grow their businesses. Their experience, on the contrary, is quite different, because pricing remains a critical challenge. The Indian consumer, clearly believes that the in-season product is overpriced. The pricing is directly connected to the various bottlenecks, among which are 'process-orientation' decisions, and delayed shipments. Apparel brands also need to develop quality products and have better trained staff. Mall space witnesses 65% rise Daily News & Analysis Unlike the continuous slump in the residential property market, the retail space market, especially mall space, has seen a steady growth. Mumbai got around 8.5 lakh sqft of mall space in the second quarter of the year, a 65% increase compared to the previous quarter. Director, Retail Agency, Cushman &Wakefield, Jaideep Wahi said that the market was awaiting the parliament's decision on foreign direct investment in the retail sector, after which there would be a significant rise again. The Goods Samaritan of Reverse Logistics Forbes India Reverse Logistics (RLC), the parent company of Greendust, buys damaged or older goods at cheaper prices from manufacturers, retailers, and even consumers, refurbishes and sells them. Reverse logistics also covers end-of-life products that need to be disposed off safely, warranty claims, surplus stock and exchange offers. K.H. Khan, General Manager, Finance, Samsung India, says the biggest reason for him signing up with Greendust was to clear his warehouse of returns. Apart from Greendust, there are other well-established companies like Intarvo and Aforeserve in the reverse logistics space. How Desi helps women craft livelihoods The Hindu Charaka, born out of Kavi Kavya, a literary and cultural organisantion in the Shimoga district of Karnataka, is a women's cooperative society in Bhimankone village, that produces naturally-dyed cotton handloom. Charaka has a chain of retail outlets through its marketing arm, Desi. Its stores in Bengaluru and a few other places in Karnataka accrue a combined annual turnover of Rs 6 crores. Charaka is sustained through its profits, and the 350 workers pay themselves a decent living wage. The cooperative plans to set up a wholesale market for pure handloom and naturally-dyed fabric, as well as a training institute for rural artisan groups. US firm Brahma Capital in deal with Bestech for retail complex Economic Times New York-headquartered investment firm, Brahma Capital has signed a joint development agreement with Gurgaon-based builder, Bestech Group, to build a commercial office-cum-retail complex on 12.2 acres in Gurgaon's Sector 16. Of the built-up area, 40% will be in a commercial office tower and the rest as a separate retail complex. The commercial office space will be on sale, while retail space will be leased. Customers are in an 'experience the brand'mode: Wadhwan Lifestyle Business Head India Infoline.com Dhiren Desai, Business Head-International Brands, Wadhawan Lifestyle Retail Private Limited is responsible for developing the international brands division of the company and is instrumental in bringing acclaimed international brand Adolfo Dominguez to India. Prior to working with Wadhawan Lifestyle Retail Pvt. Ltd., Dhiren worked prestigious names such as Reliance Brands Limited, and Tata Retail Enterprise. According to Desai, the customer is still in an 'experience the brand' mode and not the 'brand loyal' mode. He believes that only the brands that react quickly to customers and against competition will be successful. Wadhawan Lifestyle aims to develop a larger customer base among the upwardly mobile urban clientele. The company is looking at expanding to other metros, with plans to go to Tier II cities. Excerpts from an interview: An E-com Firm Can Become India's Largest Retailer By 2015: Vishal Mehta, CEO VC Circle Vishal Mehta, CEO of Infibeam.com, believes that e-commerce companies have the potential to become dominant players in the market. Their e-com venture Build A Bazaar, where anyone can create their own store, has seen huge response, besides speeding up their retail B2C growth. Infibeam currently has logistics in six cities which include Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi and Bangalore, and more than 400 people working across all of their centres. Excerpts from an interview:   Insight  From Selling Products to Selling Services: A New Retail Business Model AISSS This paper highlights an innovative retail business model, titled Virtual Retail Enterprise (VRE), using China's Meiyijia as a sample for the study. After completely overhauling its business model under pressure from multinational competitors, Meiyijia quickly expanded the number of convenience stores and transformed itself from selling products to selling services, and from profiting from price differences to profiting from value-added services. The paper talks about the business model transformation, how to increase efficiency and reduce cost, how to increase income from reforming, and why retail enterprise management should integrate the local culture. Cross Channel Integration: Best Practices Power Retail Modern retailers are beginning to understand the value of multichannel, offering customers the ability to shop via bricks-and-mortar stores, e-commerce sites, catalogues and call centres. However, these channels are often based on long-held technologies and infrastructures that make it difficult for customers to move seamlessly between channels. In a cross-channel world, the parameters of retail success have less to do with price point and everything to do who can offer the best shopping experience. This report explores the current cross-channel retail landscape and examines issues associated with satisfying the cross-channel shopper. It combines case study, expert opinion and best practice examples to inspire your move towards a cross-channel future. Franchise Mart: The Source of Indian Entrepreneur JEVR Franchising continues to be a highly regulated industry that endeavors to promote the healthy growth of the economy. As an entrepreneur is a catalyst in the process of economic development, there is a need to develop the concept of entrepreneurship. Franchise Mart is a source for developing Indian entrepreneurs. The present paper aims to discuss the concept of franchising, reasons for franchising and different opportunities provided by franchising for the development of Indian entrepreneurs. The paper also discusses top established and emerging franchises, both national and international. It includes tips and suggestions for success in franchising. Retail Clinics in Grocery Stores Merchant Medicine It's no secret that the retail clinic industry hasn't seen a lot of growth over the last two years, despite many predictions to the contrary. But growth in the retail clinic industry requires new participants to have options when it comes to the retail venue, and without a convincing case that grocery is attractive, those options are limited. If the supermarket industry and its associated pharmacy divisions can make the case that the grocery platform is better because of store traffic, better shopper demographics, and more synergy with healthy eating and weight loss, there could be a new wave of growth with retail clinics. Online Retailing Growth Will Drive Shed Demand Knight Frank The growth in online retailing as a percentage of total retail spending is a hot topic at the moment, especially relating to its impact on the retail sector, now and into the coming years. Retailers and retail landlords have needed to adapt to this structural change. Further strategic planning will be required to drive their relative success into the years to come. However, one side of the equation that has not been talked about much is the impact this transition may have on the industrial property sector.

Jobs

Role Experience Location Business Head - Retail Design: Restore Solutions 8-10 years Bangalore Architect / Designer - Retail: Restore Solutions 2-4 years Bangalore E-Commerce Merchandiser - Westwood Lifestyles Pvt Ltd 2-7 years Delhi / Gurgaon Web Designer and Developer - Westwood Lifestyles Pvt Ltd 2-7 years Delhi / Gurgaon Business Development Manager (Channel Sales) - Westwood Lifestyles Pvt Ltd 2-7 years Delhi /NCR, Jalandhar, Rohtak and Jaipur Senior Buyer and Merchandiser (The World Bhubhaneshwar) 3-5 years Bhubhaneshwar Manager Information Technology (Evergreen International) 7-10 years Gurgaon

Head Consulting (SCM) - Leading Retail Group - Mumbai	10-14 years	Mumbai
Head Information Technology for a leading Retailing company	8-13 years	Delhi
Senior Manager - Supply Chain manufaturing and Retail	10-20 years	Bengaluru/Bangalore
Senior Manager - Food Product Development (Retail)	12-15 years	Mumbai
Global Deputy CFO ( Leading Duty Free retailer )	10-15 years	Dubai/ UAE
Area Manager Retail Operation(Hypermarket Operations)	12-15 years	Delhi/NCR, Jaipur, Jalandhar, Lucknow
Sr. Project Manager - Civil (Pan India)	8-13 years	Mumbai
Sr. Manager - Electrical (Pan India)	8-13 years	Mumbai
Assistant Manager - Electrical (Pan India)	8-13 years	Mumbai
Loss Prevention Head - AP	10-18 years	Hyderabad / Secunderabad
Strategy Consultant (eCommerce) - Leading SCM Company - Mumbai	8-13 years	Mumbai
Opening for Manager - MIS in Chennai	8-13 years	Chennai
Manager / Senior Manager - IT	10-16 years	Bengaluru/Bangalore

Advertise with us