On its radar are Alberto-Culver and the personal care and laundry portfolios of Sara Lee, both recent acquisitions of Unilever.
Anti-government protests in Egypt are making Prashant Goenka, director, international business, Emami Ltd, nervous
Companies are predictably working overtime to cash in on the boom. LG, Samsung, Panasonic, Videocon have all lined up new models of both HDTV-ready and full-HDTV sets for the world cup this year.
The cola wars will no longer be restricted to Coke and Pepsi, with their Latin American competitor Ajegroup setting up shop in India.
"Instead of plastic faces, which appear artificial, why not use real people?" asks K V Sridhar, national creative director at ad agency Leo Burnett India. "They are compelling brand ambassadors, who can lend an air of authenticity to the communication exercise."
"Both domestic and international business grew well this quarter. Growth in net sales of the domestic business was close to 50 per cent, while the international business saw nearly a three-fold growth during the same period. Our international acquisitions have played a role in helping us register good numbers this quarter."
While iGate leaps into the $1-billion club, the combined entity will have a larger offering, better pricing power and scope to improve margins. Nasdaq-listed software firm iGate's acquisition of Patni Computer Systems was received positively by the market. On a day when the Sensex was down 2.4 per cent, the Patni scrip closed 0.8 per cent higher at Rs 463.85.
The Rs 1,500-crore (Rs 15 billion) ladies handbag market will see some major action this year, with luggage makers V.I.P and Samsonite contemplating entry soon.
Market research based on interviews or questionnaires to understand the consumer mind will soon become pass.
"Kraft's acquisition of Cadbury is a global acquisition, where some value is attributable to India. This is different from Vodafone, where the transfer of a single share of the offshore company by Hutch resulted in the Indian business getting transferred to Vodafone," said Pranay Bhatia, associate partner at legal firm Economic Laws Practice.
Consumer durable companies are stepping up investments in production and distribution to cash in on the demand the industry is witnessing. According to a recent report by research agency Crisil, the Rs 25,000-crore consumer durable industry is slated to grow at a rate of 17-18 per cent over the next five years, to touch Rs 60,000 crore.
Rising competition and costs are likely to keep profitability of brokerage firms under pressure, leading to consolidation.
Dabur is in advanced negotiations with the US company, and is likely to close the deal shortly. The deal size is in the region of Rs 500 crore.
This festive season is expected to be a happy one for consumer durables companies, with most expecting to clock a sales growth of 40 per cent - double the amount achieved last year.
According to industry experts, chlorine is one of the most commonly used chemicals to purify water though not necessarily the best method to do so on account of its ability to produce disinfection byproducts, which are harmful chemical compounds.
At 10 per cent of the overall Rs 2,000-crore (Rs 20-billion) chocolate market, the premium segment is small. Yet, it is growing at a steady 30-40 per cent per annum, according to industry estimates.
The ball, explains the division's new head of marketing, Vidur Vyas, was set rolling a few years earlier, when Pepsi Foods cut saturated fats in key snack brands such as Lays and Kurkure by close to 40 per cent.
Borges has already launched the microwave variant under the Popitas brand in June this year.
Construction major Shapoorji Pallonji & Co will set up a real estate fund in the next one year. The fund will focus on investments in the domestic market, according to Shapoor Mistry, chairman of Eureka Forbes, a part of the Shapoorji Pallonji group.
ITC, a competitor in fast moving consumer goods, is likely to extend its Vivel personal care range to deodarants and talcs.
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