Wills Lifestyle has lined up new marketing strategies and product launches, targeting the womenswear segment in an attempt to double revenues from this burgeoning category. According to Atul Chand, divisional chief executive of Wills Lifestyle, womenswear currently contributes 35-40 per cent to the turnover, which the company intends to take to 50-60 per cent soon.
According to a CLSA Asia Pacific Markets report, the e-learning market is projected to grow to around Rs 1,100 crore (Rs 11 billion) by 2012 from 145 crore (Rs 1.45 billion) currently. Besides, online modules cost one-tenth that of a regular course. The worldwide market for online tutoring is estimated to be in the region of Rs 46,800 crore (Rs 486 billion). India now earns around Rs 60 crore per year from online tutoring or 10 per cent of the total market share.
Germany-based Beiersdorf AG, the maker of Nivea skin creams, is entering the women's fairness cream market in India, almost a year after it began selling fairness cream for men locally in a bid to take on rivals including Hindustan Unilever, L'Oreal and other players.
It's a blessing in disguise, of sorts. Indian companies, which had to face a huge attrition problem over the last few years, can finally breathe easy. HR analysts said the economic slowdown is expected to reduce the attrition rates across industries, at least for the next two quarters.
Spencer's Retail, the Rs 800-crore retail arm of the RPG Group, will expand its range of fashion merchandise with the launch of private labels as well as foreign apparel brands, in an attempt to revamp its image as a fashion-centric brand instead of just a food retail chain.
With the objective of increasing its presence in China, Indian software training company NIIT has signed a memorandum of understanding with Chinese real estate developer Shui On to set up training operations in at its upcoming Dalian Tiandi Software Hub. NIIT already has a presence in China with 172 locations in 65 cities with about 50,000 students graduating from NIIT centres in China every year.
Tata Tea, which sold its stake in US-based Glaceau last year, plans to begin selling a low-priced bottled water in the country through its unit Mount Everest Mineral Water, to take on global rivals such as Coca-Cola and PepsiCo in the Rs 1,500-crore packaged drinking water market."We want to do it quickly,'' Pradeep Poddar, managing director and CEO, Mount Everest, said. "The market is still very young and we can evolve it further through marketing new offerings."
Vijay Mallya has ensured that his brands do not fall out of Indian Premier League (IPL) viewership, though his team Royal Challengers Bangalore bowed out of the tournament. After RC's series of defeats, the UB Group chairman decided to cash in on his smaller investments in rival teams such as Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Daredevils, Chennai Superkings and Mumbai Indians.
India's advertising industry is facing a serious manpower shortage, especially on the creative side of the business. Pressure on agencies' earnings has affected salary hikes, creating an opportunity for the burgeoning entertainment sector (TV and films) to poach on the limited talent pool. The shortage is mostly among the junior and mid-level executives. In advertising, money for creative people does not start flowing in till they are two to three years into the profession.
Prasoon Joshi, executive chairman, McCann-Erickson India, who will chair the outdoor and ambient media jury at the 55th International Cannes Lions 2008 in France to be held next month, talks to Business Standard about the performance of the Indian advertising industry at Cannes and his vision for McCann India.
Shah Rukh Khan, the owner of Kolkata Knight Riders, is more popular in Kolkata than the KKR captain Sourav Ganguly, revealed the Reebok showrooms in Kolkata as well as the shops selling spurious KKR merchandise in the New Market area in central Kolkata.
With revenue generation on mind, Shah Rukh Khan's Kolkata Knight Riders is regularly adding several new features to its official Web site, in an attempt to push advertising revenues as well as offer variety and interactivity to the KKR fans. The move is also expected to make cricket more fun for the fans with the launch of several 'cricketainment'-related activities for all age groups.
Although Red Chillies Entertainment, owners of Kolkata Knight Riders team, has already earned Rs 12 crore from ticket sales of its home matches at Eden Gardens so far, its expenses have shot up drastically due to the new tax structures and security fee it has to shell out.
Cellphone advertising is witnessing the first few signs of how it has the potential to become big in the near future. Hindustan Unilever and Coca-Cola, two of the biggest advertisers in the country belonging to the fast moving consumer goods sector, have launched campaigns this month to tap mobile users.
The Indian Premier League's overwhelming response in terms of ratings has seen a lot of cine-goers in Kolkata stay away from movie theatres and opt for the three-hour Kolkata Knight Riders cricket matches at home or in the stadium.
"If Bisleri does not receive this compensation, we will take legal action against Coca-Cola for violating the contract and the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights agreement," Chauhan, chairman and managing director of Bisleri, India's leader in packaged-drinking water and creator of the Maaza brand, told Business Standard.
With the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) hiking their fees, many general category students will have to approach banks for educational loans. Most will also have to furnish collateral to get that all-important loan.IIM-Ahmedabad, for instance, has almost trebled its fees to Rs 4 lakh to Rs 11.5 lakh. IIM-Kolkata has hiked it from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 7.5 lakh. Others like IIM Bangalore and IIM Lucknow have hiked it from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 8 lakh and Rs 4 lakh to Rs 5 lakh.
Bisleri, India's largest packaged-water player, said it would contemplate legal action against Coca-Cola India if the latter did not agree to its objection over the registration of the Mazaa trademark in other countries. Bisleri, however, insists that Coca-Cola has applied for registration of the Mazaa trademark in countries where the brand is not present and has objected to it on grounds that it is a breach of agreement under which Coca-Cola had acquired the rights of Mazaa.
The rise in raw material costs has caused a 10 per cent increase in the retail prices of fast-moving consumer goods as companies are passing on the rise in costs.
This is as definitive as it can get. Dutch global beer major Heineken is understood to have outlined its intent to Vijay Mallya's United Breweries that it does not want to have any conflicting presence in India.
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