Abhijeet Kumar, Akshara Srivastava

Stories by Abhijeet Kumar, Akshara Srivastava

The Great Indian Wedding Season

The Great Indian Wedding Season

Rediff.com   4 Oct 2024

With November 22, 23 and 24 being among the most auspicious dates for marriage this year, hotels across the country are all booked, as are wedding-related ancillary services.

More urban shoppers opting for Qcom platforms

More urban shoppers opting for Qcom platforms

Rediff.com   25 Sep 2024

Quick commerce (Qcom) platforms are bringing upon a rapid change in the behaviours of online shoppers, with 31 per cent of buyers relying on the fast delivery option for grocery needs, according to a new study.

MTR owner eyes IPO in 2025

MTR owner eyes IPO in 2025

Rediff.com   23 Sep 2024

The Indian arm of the Norwegian investment company Orkla ASA, which owns spice brands like MTR and Eastern, is exploring the possibility of launching an initial public offering (IPO) in 2025, said a top company executive. "The ASA board just cleared the proposal. "We had done a pre-IPO study last year to understand what we need to do and based on that the board said, 'okay, let's go ahead and explore capital markets'," Sanjay Sharma, CEO, Orkla India, told Business Standard.

Pernod Ricard raises India bar on premium play

Pernod Ricard raises India bar on premium play

Rediff.com   19 Sep 2024

French wine and spirits maker Pernod Ricard expects to report low double-digit growth in India in the medium-term on the back of a strong premiumisation trend emerging in the country. "We are now the second market worldwide for Pernod Ricard and India continues to be a big growth engine for the group. "Our compoun annual growth rate (CAGR) over the past five years was 8 per cent, which is robust and was maintained at a rather high level," said Jean Touboul (pictured), chief executive officer, Pernod Ricard India.

Online vs offline retail: Industry divided over Piyush Goyal's comments

Online vs offline retail: Industry divided over Piyush Goyal's comments

Rediff.com   22 Aug 2024

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal's recent comments on large e-commerce players have reignited the debate about their impact on smaller offline retailers. On Wednesday, Goyal said that the rapid growth of e-commerce in India is a "cause for concern" and is diminishing the market share of small, mom-and-pop stores by offering high-margin products such as consumer electronics and apparel at discounted rates.

Quick-service restaurants look to serve up new menus to deal with slump

Quick-service restaurants look to serve up new menus to deal with slump

Rediff.com   2 Aug 2024

In the first quarter (Q1) of the ongoing financial year ending June 30, Westlife Foodworld, which operates McDonald's outlets in the South and West, reported an 88 per cent drop in net profit. While net sales remained flat, its same-store sales growth (SSSG) fell by 6.7 per cent, impacted by "subdued in-store business, although the off-premise segment saw positive same-store sales", the company said.

Consumer goods firms likely to see an upswing after year of lull

Consumer goods firms likely to see an upswing after year of lull

Rediff.com   24 Jul 2024

The Budget proposals are expected to boost the fortunes of consumer goods and fast-moving consumer goods companies, which have been struggling with poor consumer demand for more than a year. The Budget announcements, such as the increase in standard deduction by Rs 25,000 for income-tax payers and slab revisions, will put more money in their hands, boosting consumer demand. Private consumption is also likely to benefit from a new scheme to offer internships to 10 million youths in the country's top 500 companies.

Haryana Goes For 10% Quota For Agniveers

Haryana Goes For 10% Quota For Agniveers

Rediff.com   18 Jul 2024

The reservation would include a 10 per cent horizontal quota for Agniveers in the posts of constable, mining guard, forest guard, jail warden, and special police officers.

Wine maker Sula Vineyard eyes double-digit growth on premiumisation

Wine maker Sula Vineyard eyes double-digit growth on premiumisation

Rediff.com   24 Jun 2024

Raising toast to 25 successful years, India's largest wine maker Sula Vineyard is eyeing a sustained double-digit growth in revenue over the next five years, buoyed by growth in the premium and elite categories and expansion of its new ranges. It was during Covid that the vineyards shifted focus to its own brands and pivoted towards growing the premium and elite segment of the market.

Rajasthan Hotels Offer Off-Season Bargains

Rajasthan Hotels Offer Off-Season Bargains

Rediff.com   10 Jun 2024

Hotel rooms, usually in the range of Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000 a night during the peak season, are now available for Rs 7,000 to Rs 10,000 a night.

WEF: Tourism's share in global GDP to return to pre-Covid levels this year

WEF: Tourism's share in global GDP to return to pre-Covid levels this year

Rediff.com   22 May 2024

The travel and tourism sector's contribution to global gross domestic product will return to pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2024, according to a new report by the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Tuesday. This recovery is driven by a considerable increase in worldwide demand, coinciding with more available flights, better international openness, and increased interest and investment in natural and cultural attractions.

Coffee Aroma Is Spreading Across India

Coffee Aroma Is Spreading Across India

Rediff.com   16 May 2024

India has been a tea sipping society. But the aromatic wave of coffee culture is wafting across it.

Indians Are Saying NO To SUGAR!

Indians Are Saying NO To SUGAR!

Rediff.com   9 May 2024

With rising incomes, education, and health awareness in India, especially in the big cities, droves of people are saying no to sugar.

Rural FMCG growth overtakes urban after 5 quarters

Rural FMCG growth overtakes urban after 5 quarters

Rediff.com   8 May 2024

India's fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector witnessed growth in rural consumption in volume terms outpace urban consumption for the first time in five quarters, in the January-March period. According to a report from consumer intelligence firm NIQ, rural consumption grew at a rate of 7.6 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) in Q1CY24, overtaking that in urban areas which stood at 5.7 per cent.

Like Suzuki, Kubota aims to make India its global hub

Like Suzuki, Kubota aims to make India its global hub

Rediff.com   2 May 2024

Japanese agri-equipment firm Kubota is taking cues from Suzuki Motor's strategy to establish India as its global production hub, according to a report by Nikkei Asia. The acquisition of Escorts in 2022, leading to the rebranding as Escorts Kubota, a prominent tractor manufacturer in India, which held the fourth-largest global market share, offered Kubota a crucial foothold in the Indian and international markets, complementing its strengths with Escorts' established presence.

AstraZeneca's COVID-19 Vaccine: The TTS Factor

AstraZeneca's COVID-19 Vaccine: The TTS Factor

Rediff.com   1 May 2024

'It is admitted that the AZ vaccine can, in very rare cases, cause TTS.'

No cancer-causing agents in our products: MDH on quality claims

No cancer-causing agents in our products: MDH on quality claims

Rediff.com   29 Apr 2024

MDH Spices has denied allegations that its products have traces of cancer-causing agent ethylene oxide (ETO), calling them "untrue" and "lacking any substantiating evidence." "Amid speculations doing rounds that there is presence of ETO in our products, we clarify and state unequivocally that these claims are untrue and lack any substantiating evidence," a statement released by the company said.

Consumption story gets a facelift as rural demand shows promise

Consumption story gets a facelift as rural demand shows promise

Rediff.com   16 Apr 2024

Consumer goods firms and auto companies are witnessing an upturn in rural demand, which had been lagging for most of FY24. Expectations of a bumper rabi crop harvest have helped turn the tide. The Reserve Bank of India's (RBI's) Monetary Policy Committee kept the repo rate unchanged last week, noting that as rural demand catches up, consumption is expected to support economic growth in 2024-25.

Rising prices, lack of jobs key issues, shows voter survey

Rising prices, lack of jobs key issues, shows voter survey

Rediff.com   13 Apr 2024

62 per cent of respondents across various demographics, including villages, towns, and cities, perceived a greater difficulty in securing employment compared to the previous five years, shows pre-poll survey by Centre for Study of Developing Societies.

Airfares, hotel rates shoot up ahead of Holi, Good Friday

Airfares, hotel rates shoot up ahead of Holi, Good Friday

Rediff.com   22 Mar 2024

As March draws to a close, two consecutive long weekend opportunities - Holi and Good Friday - are driving up hotel occupancy and airfares across major routes. According to travel platform Cleartrip, hotel bookings have seen a 3.5 times spike for the Holi weekend, while a 3.7 times spike has been visible in the Good Friday weekend.