Surajeet Das Gupta, Gyan Verma, Viveat Susan Pinto

Stories by Surajeet Das Gupta, Gyan Verma, Viveat Susan Pinto

Durable firms gearing up for Dussehra-Diwali business

Durable firms gearing up for Dussehra-Diwali business

Rediff.com   14 Sep 2020

Categories such as washing machines, refrigerators and television sets have seen sales growth of around 8-10 per cent in August compared to last year, industry sources said, with September also reporting a similar growth trajectory.

With Ambani upping the ante, Jio looks to dial disruption 2.0

With Ambani upping the ante, Jio looks to dial disruption 2.0

Rediff.com   11 Sep 2020

Jio's global partnerships took shape this year when Jio Platforms, a 100 per cent subsidiary of Reliance Jio which has invested in various digital platforms, was able to woo a bevy of marquee investors: Facebook, Google, Qualcomm, Intel, and a numerous PE funds.

Is this the best time for Amazon, Verizon to invest in Voda Idea?

Is this the best time for Amazon, Verizon to invest in Voda Idea?

Rediff.com   11 Sep 2020

In order to determine whether this would be sound strategy for them, one needs to look at two issues: One, on the alliances being built globally between telcos, on one hand, and cloud service firms, on the other, especially with the advent of 5G; and two, how their business strategies in India will blend into with such a deal.

Post sale of Future group, Biyani will keep home retailing biz going

Post sale of Future group, Biyani will keep home retailing biz going

Rediff.com   11 Sep 2020

Future's home retailing interests, including furniture and furnishings, are housed under Praxis Home Retail, which was created in FY18 when the group demerged the business from Future Retail.

Loan recast: Little impact on retail, media, food services industries

Loan recast: Little impact on retail, media, food services industries

Rediff.com   9 Sep 2020

Analysts say large firms in these segments don't need loan recast due to the efficient manner in which many of them operate.

DMart vs Reliance Retail: Stage set for mother of all retail battles

DMart vs Reliance Retail: Stage set for mother of all retail battles

Rediff.com   9 Sep 2020

The bigger threat for DMart is that the Reliance-Future combine now has grocery revenues that are nearly 2.5 times of it, putting pressure on the former to improve stickiness of its consumers.

Wings clipped, ad body looks at a 'co-regulating' role with govt

Wings clipped, ad body looks at a 'co-regulating' role with govt

Rediff.com   2 Sep 2020

Newly formed CCPA will now regulate false and misleading advertising and also take action to punish offenders, whether through fines, discontinuance, alteration of the ad, or even jail. ASCI as a voluntary, self-regulatory body, had no legal powers to enforce its actions.

Pandemic brings windfall for e-pharma companies

Pandemic brings windfall for e-pharma companies

Rediff.com   27 Aug 2020

The online pharmacy market, which was worth about $512 million in 2018, is growing at a CAGR of 63 per cent and is expected to hit overall revenues of over $3.6 billion by 2022.

Pandemic heat spreads to large restaurant chains

Pandemic heat spreads to large restaurant chains

Rediff.com   27 Aug 2020

A third of the total restaurant market in India - valued at Rs 4.25 trillion - could be wiped out in the current financial year, since many players have simply been unable to sustain operations in the absence of customers.

WhiteHat Jr making an aggressive bid to go global

WhiteHat Jr making an aggressive bid to go global

Rediff.com   24 Aug 2020

Next month, the edtech start-up, that teaches coding to kids online, is launching operations in five new markets - the UK, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore.

In 3 years, RIL forked out $ 3.1 billion on acquisitions

In 3 years, RIL forked out $ 3.1 billion on acquisitions

Rediff.com   20 Aug 2020

The acquisitions were made in areas which are closely related to Reliance's key businesses - telecom, internet, retail, digital, media, education, digital, chemicals and energy.

How Mukesh Ambani plans to expand his empire

How Mukesh Ambani plans to expand his empire

Rediff.com   19 Aug 2020

Its trajectory in telecom is well known but now it is pushing for a similar leap into the ranks of the top players in its other businesses: media and entertainment, e-commerce, a series of online businesses ranging from health to education, and retail.

Malls, retailers begin talks again over rentals

Malls, retailers begin talks again over rentals

Rediff.com   17 Aug 2020

Retailers want rental waivers should be extended for a few more months, since business is not expected to pick up before the Dussehra-Diwali period, which falls in October-November.

Star to charge Rs 1 million for 10 second IPL ad

Star to charge Rs 1 million for 10 second IPL ad

Rediff.com   14 Aug 2020

Star earned ad revenues of around Rs 30 billion during last year's IPL. Whether it hits last year's figure will depend on how the economy picks up during the festival season.

25 years of telecom in India: Who won, who lost

25 years of telecom in India: Who won, who lost

Rediff.com   14 Aug 2020

While smart boys like the Ruias of Essar, Ajay Piramal, Max India promoter Analjit Singh laughed all the way to the bank, the Tatas, Anil Ambani, Malaysian tycoon T Ananda Krishna of Maxis (which invested in Aircel), Sistema, and Norway's Telenor burnt their fingers, notes Surajeet Das Gupta.

FMCG story slides into slow lane; Britannia bucks the trend

FMCG story slides into slow lane; Britannia bucks the trend

Rediff.com   13 Aug 2020

While green shoots are beginning to emerge, with June sales rebounding to pre-Covid levels thanks to a rural revival, most FMCG chief executives have voiced concerns about localised lockdowns that began in July and have extended into August in some states.

Huawei's future in India depends on its role in 5G

Huawei's future in India depends on its role in 5G

Rediff.com   13 Aug 2020

It has invested $2 billion and spent $200 million on its R&D centre in Bengaluru, the largest such centre outside China where some core technologies are under development.

In times of Covid-19, drive-through restaurant biz booms

In times of Covid-19, drive-through restaurant biz booms

Rediff.com   10 Aug 2020

in the last three months, brands such as Tata Starbucks, KFC, and Pizza Hut have launched drive-through or kerb-side delivery services at their restaurants to catch consumers nervous about dining in.

Apple to shift 10% of manufacture to India in 5 years

Apple to shift 10% of manufacture to India in 5 years

Rediff.com   10 Aug 2020

Two of Apple Inc's global vendors -- Wistron and Foxconn (through Han Hoi), which already manufacture Apple phones in India -- and a third entity, Pegatron, which will be setting up a new plant, have applied to the government to be eligible under the PLI scheme for large-scale electronics manufacturers.

How govt plans to stop telcos from buying Chinese equipment

How govt plans to stop telcos from buying Chinese equipment

Rediff.com   4 Aug 2020

Under these rules, telecom gear makers have to share their source codes and get their equipment tested by third-party labs accredited to the government.