India issued a Mexican warning on retail FDI Hindu Business Line Several months have elapsed since the Centre kept in abeyance the decision of the Cabinet to permit foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail. Thanks to opposition from its own allies in the UPA and to avert a crisis on this issue, the Government has postponed it and is working on "building a consensus among political parties." Even as we keep hearing murmurs in the media that the decision will be revived, a remarkable expose about Wal-Mart's (the world's largest retailer) fraudulent practices has come to light. Wal-Mart has taken over nearly half of Mexico's retail business with just over 200,000 employees. In contrast, the Indian retail sector employs 40 million.

Footwear brand Tresmode to foray into NCR indiaretailing.com Footwear brand Tresmode is all set to expand into the NCR. With the brand already retailing and adding 10 new MBOs at the start of this financial year, Tresmode now plans to raise the count by another 10 points-of-sale that will include 3-4 exclusive brand outlets in the NCR. The brand has 50 shop-in-shops across the country and 6 exclusive outlets in Mumbai, Delhi, and Pune. Commenting on the move into the NCR footwear market, Kapil Mahtani, CEO, Tresmode, said: "We intend to slowly expand in the North and later in the South. We prefer expanding the brand zonally rather than aggressively opening stores everywhere. In fact, regional management is much economical and easier. Also, the NCR market is highly organised." Mahtani further added that the NCR has high possibilities for the brand to be well consumed by customers. "The exposure to European styles and westernised look in footwear is sure to lure customers to shop from an Indian brand," he said.

Pantaloon's stake sale in company at final stage: Future Cap Moneycontrol.com In an interview, V Vaidyanathan, Chairman and Managing Director of Future Capital Holdings says, Pantaloon 's stake sale in the company is at an advanced stage. "It's the last stage is the best way to put it. You could look forward to some announcement sooner than later," he adds. Commenting on the business, he says, the loan book is now close to Rs 4,700 crore. "Of the Rs 4,700 crore, about Rs 2,000 crore is the retail business and about Rs 2,700 crore is wholesale business. Retail is now 42 percent of the total business," he asserts.

Shoppers Stop opens 52nd store in India at Jalandhar indiaretailing.com Department store chain Shoppers Stop has opened its second store in Punjab at MBD Neopolis mall, Jalandhar. Spread over 50,000 sq.ft. across three levels, this is the 52nd store of the retailer in the country. The outlet stocks categories such as apparel, cosmetics, accessories, kids range, jewellery, and home decor. Speaking on the occasion, Govind Shrikhande, Customer Care Associate and Managing Director, Shoppers Stop, said: "Our entry into the beautiful city of Jalandhar marks a new milestone in our two decade journey of success and accomplishments in the retail landscape of India. It makes us very proud that we are bringing to our customers in Jalandhar a shopping experience that they have never experienced before within the city limits."

TBZ posts a net profit of Rs 7.99 crore in Jan-Mar quarter Economic Times Jewellery retailer Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri (TBZ) has said that its consolidated net profit stood at Rs 7.99 crore for the quarter ended March 31, 2012. The company had posted a net profit of Rs 21.33 crore in the October-December quarter of the 2011-12 fiscal, it said in a filing to the BSE. It didn't give figure for the fourth quarter earnings for corresponding period of fiscal 2010-11. The consolidated net sales of the company stood at Rs 268.09 crore in the last quarter of the past fiscal, while, the net sales in the third quarter of the same fiscal stood at Rs 470.53 crore.

Fashionara receives fund infusion from Helion, Lightspeed Moneycontrol.com Fashionara.com, the Bangalore-based online portal that offers premium fashion and lifestyle merchandise received capital funding from Helion Venture Partners and Lightspeed Venture Partners. The funds raised will be used to build the business. Sources in Fashionara said it would be seeking second and third round of funding. Founded by Arun Sirdeshmukh and Darpan Munjal, Fashionara.com is an online retailer that offers merchandise in the space of fashion and lifestyle. Its current focus is on apparel, footwear and accessories.

News - Food, QSR

Hookah lounges under food and drugs administration's scanner Times of India After tobacco-laced gutka, now hookah lounges would be under the scanner of food and drug administration (FDA). The district administration has instructed the FDA inspectors to raid hookah lounges in the city. A decision was taken at a meeting held here on the occasion of world no tobacco day, on Thursday. "In an attempt to curb the consumption of tobacco in Bhopal, we have decided to close down the hookah lounges here," collector Nikunj Shrivastava said. Interestingly, in January this year, the FDA raided a hookah lounge at Bittan market and found the samples positive for tobacco. However, no action was taken by the administration.

May tie-up with local dairy farmers, says DS Group Economic Times After a successful stint in selling pan masala, salt and spices, Noida-based conglomerate Dharampal-Satyapal (DS) Group, has forayed into the dairy business. With this, a potential home-grown challenge has emerged from Noida to established dairy giants such as Amul, Mother Dairy, Britannia, Nestle and others. Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman of DS Group, talks about the group's roadmap and strategy for the future.

Trends

Apparel, accessory brands to raise prices by up to 15 percent on weakening rupee Economic Times Several international apparel and accessories brands plan to increase prices by up to 15% to cope with the rupee's free fall, while some look to absorb about one-fifth jump in their import costs in an already struggling market. "Branded retail in the premium segment is probably in the worst time since I am in the business," says Ramesh Tainwala, Co-owner and Chairman of Planet Retail, which operates department store Debenhams, British fashion chain Next, men's lifestyle brand Nautica and fashion accessories brand Accessorize in India. While a few international brands are locally manufactured for sale inIndia, many of them are imported as finished garments.

High-end buyers extend luxury concepts to bathrooms Livemint For rich customers with posh homes in Delhi, or a Rs 50 crore apartment in Mumbai, luxury is no longer just about indulging in Versace sofas, Fendi Casa calfskin couches, Swiss designer Alfredo Haberli's sofa for Moroso or an elegant chaise lounge stamped Made in Italy. Such clients are also willing to spend up to Rs 1.5 crore on designing their bathrooms, according to Karthik Srinivasamurthy, managing partner, Style Box, a Bangalore-based multi-brand bathroom solutions store, which stocks luxury brands such as Sicis, Agape, THG and Toscoquattro.

Insight

The Indian Apparel Industry: A Critical Review Of Supply Chains ICMIS Fragmented industry structure is the major problem of Indian textile industry with a dominance of small scale. Getting skilled workers is a major challenge. Due to constant growth of the industry in the last few years, the industry is facing severe shortage of labour. People who are migrating from rural areas do not have any prior experience in the industry. Since, there is need for labour, they are asked to take up the work with any prior training (unlike in other garment cluster- Bangalore). Frequent power cuts, increasing pressure on road traffic have put considerable strain on the growth of this cluster.

The Frozen Desserts Category- Will Modern Trade take it more seriously (Premium) - View Free Sample Frozen desserts are on an upswing, and manufacturers are hoping that modern trade will begin to take the category more seriously. In recent times, the frozen dessert category has been registering good growth. With new products like frozen fruit yogurts, sorbets and gelatos adding more variety and value to it, this category has gone beyond just ice creams. But how receptive are modern store chains to frozen desserts? Why, despite becoming popular, are these products still under-leveraged by modern store retailers? What concerns and issues are hampering their expansion at the stores?.

E-commerce- A Dream or a Logistics Nightmare (Premium) - View Free Sample The e-commerce industry seems to be getting ready for a consolidation. It should play safe to avoid another fallout like the 2000 dot-com bust. For an invention that is rated among the top 10 discoveries in the history of mankind, the internet keeps taking us back in time regularly. It is 2012 but once again looks like 2000.So what does the closure of a few companies mean? Actually nothing. In a nascent but fastgrowing industry, this is expected. Many entrepreneurs will jump in, but just a few will scale and succeed. The others will shut down or get acquired, such consolidation is the order of any early stage industry.

The Case for Consolidation of Indian Brands (Premium) - View Free Sample From the launch of the first few men's shirts brands in the early and mid nineties, the Indian fashion industry has come a long way; and today it boasts of an excellent mix of regional, national and international brands vying for consumers' attention and share of their wallets. The memories of pioneer brands such as Stencil are still fresh in the minds of many. Arrow's educational campaigns teaching Indian consumers the merits of a button down shirts may seem amateurish today but they created the long-lasting relationship with consumers who have made Arrow so stupendously successful today. While I still believe that the Indian market doesn't have enough brands on offer but I am quite satisfied with the developments over the last 15 years. The most satisfying has been the boldness and courage with which numerous Indian companies have launched their brands across segments.

Smart Sourcing by Punit Agarwal of Promart (Premium) - View Free Sample Buying the right raw materials and goods from the right sources is key to success, asserts Puneet Agarwal, Chief Executive Officer of Promart. A second generation entrepreneur hailing from a family with business interest in retailing of sarees, wedding trousseaus and embroidery (domestic and exports), Agarwal acquired Promart from Provogue in 2011. As the CEO of Promart he is responsible for overall business decisions, logistics and inventory management. His role also includes setting up targets and identifying key markets for growth. The business of sourcing takes him to all corners of the globe and he delves into his experience to come up with a few thumb rules while sourcing from China and other countries.