Raghavendra Kamath And Neeraj Thakur In Mumbai, New Delhi

Stories by Raghavendra Kamath And Neeraj Thakur In Mumbai, New Delhi

2 biggest hotel chains may see dip in profits

2 biggest hotel chains may see dip in profits

Rediff.com   31 Mar 2009

Indian Hotels, which owns the luxury Taj brand of hotels, may see its profit decline 47 per cent to Rs 200 crore (Rs 2 billion) from Rs 377 crore (Rs 3.77 billion) last year for the fiscal ending March. EIH, a part of the Oberoi Group, is likely to see a profit figure of Rs 154 crore (Rs 1.54 billion) from Rs 223.6 crore (Rs 2.23 billion) , a fall of 31 per cent, a survey of analysts has said.

Emaar-MGF to get Rs 100 crore govt bailout

Emaar-MGF to get Rs 100 crore govt bailout

Rediff.com   30 Mar 2009

The government has decided to provide Rs 100 crore (Rs 1 billion) liquidity support to Emmar-MGF, the developer of the Commonwealth Games village project, as against the developer's demand for Rs 300 crore (Rs 3 billion).

DLF's retail arm plans 500 luxury lifestyle stores

DLF's retail arm plans 500 luxury lifestyle stores

Rediff.com   28 Mar 2009

Already partnering seven international brands such as Giorgio Armani and Salvatore Ferragamo, it also plans to tie up with 12-15 global brands in the next five years. The company plans to fund its expansion through a mix of equity and debt and go in for tie-ups through joint ventures and franchise routes. The focus of expansion would be in metros such as Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai in the initial phase, the official said.

Teams from bidders camp at Satyam HQ

Teams from bidders camp at Satyam HQ

Rediff.com   27 Mar 2009

The bidders had started sending teams from departments like human resources, finance and legal, who were holding discussions with their counterparts at Satyam, the sources added. The Satyam stock was up 4 per cent at Rs 42.20 on BSE. It had dropped a little over 10 per cent in the past month. "Between this week and next week, there will be several meetings between various bidders and company officials," confirmed Satyam's Hari Tallapalli.

Retailers put cash & carry on backburner

Retailers put cash & carry on backburner

Rediff.com   26 Mar 2009

Indian retailers put cash & carry on backburner

Mahindra eyes full pie in 2-wheeler biz

Mahindra eyes full pie in 2-wheeler biz

Rediff.com   25 Mar 2009

The Mumbai-based company will take on Hero Honda, Bajaj Auto and HMSI and will have models in the 100cc, 125cc and 150cc mobike segments, and also in the ungeared low and high-powered scooter segments. Hero Honda has a 60 per cent share of the motorcycle segment, while HMSI commands a 58 per cent of the scooter market. Anand Mahindra said: "Our two-wheeler project is complete; we have already begun marketing the fleet in Bangalore."

DLF to book Rs 2,000 crore from group firm by Apri

DLF to book Rs 2,000 crore from group firm by Apri

Rediff.com   25 Mar 2009

The company has already booked Rs 5,450 crore (Rs 54.5 billion) revenue from sale of 5 million sq ft it has sold to DAL. DLF on Tuesday clarified to the exchanges that it had been looking at various options from time to time but no definite option had been presented to the board so far for its consideration.

Nano-inspired houses to cost Rs 5-10 lakh

Nano-inspired houses to cost Rs 5-10 lakh

Rediff.com   20 Mar 2009

"The inspiration to develop smaller and cheaper apartments comes from the Nano car, which is eliciting a tremendous response. I am sure our project will see a similar response, given the fact that we will come up with such low-cost apartments in metro cities," said R Nagaraju, general manager, corporate planning, Unitech. It plans to launch mid-segment residential projects in metro and suburban cities over the next few months.

What an IBM-Sun deal could mean for India

What an IBM-Sun deal could mean for India

Rediff.com   19 Mar 2009

The news of global IT giant IBM buying Sun Microsystems has been doing the rounds for years. So, despite the Wall Street Journal reporting that an approximately $6.5 billion buyout is imminent, analysts remain sceptical.

Redeveloping Dharavi is not viable for us: HDIL

Redeveloping Dharavi is not viable for us: HDIL

Rediff.com   10 Mar 2009

Developer to bid for work from those who win the final contract.

State rescue for Games project likely

State rescue for Games project likely

Rediff.com   6 Mar 2009

Public money to remedy firm's cash flow being mulled. The Games are scheduled for next year and plagued by failing deadlines and other problems. The Delhi Development Authority, nodal agency for implementation, may announce the rescue package by next week, sources in the agency say.

After CEO, Sony TV loses business head, others

After CEO, Sony TV loses business head, others

Rediff.com   6 Mar 2009

On February 18, CEO Kunal Das Gupta had put in his papers. Company sources say around a dozen senior executives also resigned with Almeida on Thursday. Based on viewership ratings, Sony TV is currently a distant fourth in the rankings of entertainment channels, behind Star Plus, Colors, and Zee TV.

Thomas Cook cuts staff, shuts retail outlets

Thomas Cook cuts staff, shuts retail outlets

Rediff.com   4 Mar 2009

Thomas Cook India, the country's largest travel-related service provider, said it slashed about 7 per cent of its workforce in 2008 and shut a few of the retail outlets as part of a plan to cut cost and boost profits.

Contractors shift from realty to govt projects

Contractors shift from realty to govt projects

Rediff.com   2 Mar 2009

Companies are either taking small government projects alone or bidding for larger ones with consortium partners. The companies, which had 18-75 per cent of their order books in property development, say they are facing payment delays of 20-90 days from some of the private developers, blocking their working capital requirements. Some of them take a week's advance payment from developers to execute their projects.

Reliance Retail struggles to beat slowdown blues

Reliance Retail struggles to beat slowdown blues

Rediff.com   26 Feb 2009

Reliance Retail has added 485 stores in the last one year, taking the total count to 950 and the footprint is now spread across 77 cities (58 in the last one year) across India. While his critics say Ambani may have lost the plot as the progress of his retail plans are nowhere near what he had sought to achieve, others feel the Reliance chief is just being pragmatic given the not-so-conducive environment for expansion in retail.

Apparel retailers may cut summer buys by 20%

Apparel retailers may cut summer buys by 20%

Rediff.com   23 Feb 2009

After a lacklustre winter season sale, apparel retailers are now planning to cut their summer purchases by as much as 20 per cent to save holding cost and reduce pressure on working capital.

Retailers mull alliance with foreign cos

Retailers mull alliance with foreign cos

Rediff.com   13 Feb 2009

According to sources in the Future Group, it plans to tie up with international retailers in different segments. "We can certainly look at bringing in foreign capital to our subsidiaries now," said a group official, who did not wish to be quoted. Under the new guidelines, downstream investments by an Indian company that has foreign investment but is owned and controlled by Indians will not be considered as FDI.

DLF stalls 2 of its biggest projects

DLF stalls 2 of its biggest projects

Rediff.com   12 Feb 2009

Facing acute liquidity crunch and poor buyer sentiments, the country's biggest property developer, DLF, has stopped work at two of its biggest mid-income housing projects. The move comes after the developer stalled at least a quarter of its commercial projects.

Apparel retailers offer up to 80% discount

Apparel retailers offer up to 80% discount

Rediff.com   12 Feb 2009

Though end-of-season sale is common in the first week of February, what is interesting this time around is the quantum and timing of the offers. Retailers are giving away 20-25 per cent additional discounts, compared to the last year. Also, they began giving discounts at least three weeks before the ususal timing.

PNB chief leads race for RBI Dy Governor's post

PNB chief leads race for RBI Dy Governor's post

Rediff.com   12 Feb 2009

Punjab National Bank Chairman and Managing Director K C Chakraborty has emerged as the frontrunner for the post of the fourth deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).