Apparel, fast-moving consumer goods and healthcare retailers are all moving to their own brands to ease the squeeze on their profit margins. Till not so long ago, only a handful of retailers like Shopper's Stop had their own labels. Now, private labels have become core to every retailer's strategy.
The Supreme Court judgment last week allowing Tata Power to retail power to consumers in Mumbai could pose a few regulatory challenges, experts feel.
The sharp rise in flexible packaging prices, thanks to the crude oil spiral, has become a new headache for fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies.
Winds of change are blowing across the fast-moving consumer goods market.
After a string of foreign deals in the last few years, including Tata Motors' purchase of Land Rover and Jaguar brands from Ford for $2.3 billion this year, attempts by Indian companies to acquire assets abroad are increasingly hitting roadblocks. At least, the recent attempts by Indian companies suggest so.
In a clear indication of things to come, homegrown FMCG major Dabur India has decided to increase prices 5 per cent across most product categories to accommodate the sharp rise in the price of flexible packaging material made of polymers. This is the sharpest price rise effected by the company in eight years.
Liquor firms introduce innovative packaging to push sales and save costs.
The worldwide softness in the sector has ensured there are few takers for these aircraft; those who had leased the aircraft to Indian carriers will invoke a hefty penalty if the machines are sent back to them.
Akruti City, Omaxe, Sobha Developers, among other property developers, are pledging shares with lenders to provide additional security, apart from hypothecating properties to borrow funds, according to information submitted to the stock exchanges. Promoters of Akruti, Omaxe and Sobha have pledged their shares with Indiabulls Financial Services, financiers like Dubai-based BankSarasin & Co and Credit Suisse as a liquid security for loans against properties.
The Rs 9,500-crore Dharavi makeover may be postponed by a few months as the scheme will have to be amended to increase the size of the flats, to be given to slum-dwellers, from 225 sq ft to 269 sq ft, according to builders close to the development.
HR firm Hewitt Associates, however, estimates average salaries in India rose 15.2 across sectors for 2008-09 in line with the increases last year (15.1 per cent) and better than the year before (14.4 per cent) despite slowdown in many sectors. At 15.5 per cent, salaries of people in junior management (up to seven years) rose the fastest, followed by middle management (seven to 12 years) at 15.2 per cent, senior management (12 years+) at 14.5 per cent.
Cobra Beer owner Karan Bilimoria told Business Standard that he will introduce 500 ml cans across beer categories this year. However, he believes that packing beer in cans will be good for exports too. "I see a great potential in the canned segment. It will also help us export Cobra from India," he said. The company already has the required infrastructure to package India-brewed Cobra beer in cans at its Bihar brewery.
During May-June, sales of not only seasonal consumer goods such as ACs and refrigerators go up, but also with more and more families going abroad for holidays, there is a surge in sales of cameras and camcorders and even laptops, according to industry observers. While Reliance Digital is offering value for money combo offers on cellphones to laptops and televisions.
James Scott, Metro Cash & Carry's regional operating officer (Asia) based in Singapore, virtually lives out of a suitcase. With the regional headquarters in Hong Kong and operations across China, India, Pakistan, and Vietnam, Scott travels through the week and gets back home only on weekends.
Real estate developers are feeling the liquidity crunch -- the sources of funds are drying up even as they get squeezed from both sides: high interest rates and property prices have hurt offtake while rising steel, cement prices have pushed up input costs 20-25 per cent, which developers have to absorb for now.
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.
In a move to focus on its core FMCG strength, the Burman family, promoters of Dabur India, last week announced their exit from the pharma business.
The Delhi-based Parsvnath Developers received $47 million (Rs 186 crore) from twoSaffron Group funds to develop a residential and shopping complex on a now-defunct bus depot at Kurla in central Mumbai. The Mumbai-based Lodha Group got $54 million from a HDFC-sponsored, Mauritius-based fund. The fund will take a 45 per cent stake in a special purpose vehicle, which will develop projects in Hyderabad, Lodha said in Mumbai on Thursday.
Miguel A Torres, president, Torres group of companies, has his friendly, blue eyes fixed on the bubbling market. "We will invest $1 million to hire more people and expand to other parts. We have already invested the same over the last six years," he says. Torres produces red, white, sparkling, and dessert wines, ranging from single vineyard to mass-market brands.
All major players in the Rs 1,200-crore (Rs 12 billion) ice cream market are set to adorn a health-oriented look this year by offering more such products. Amul has already launched probiotic health and wellness ice creams and is also offering sugar free variants. Mother Dairy has decided to expand its naturally flavoured offerings along with its new packaging. HUL introduced Moo ice cream under the health and wellness umbrella. Aavin has also launched a low-sugar ice-cream.
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